On the Other Side of Fear
by BuffyAnne
Summary: On autopilot, she stands from the couch and slowly backs away from him while trying to stem the tide of emotions rising in her—hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear. The fear is the most overwhelming, and that's what kills her because she never, ever thought it was something she would feel with Frank. Set a few weeks after 2x09, then deviates.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Title:** _On the Other Side of Fear_

 **Rating:** PG-13

 **Pairing/Characters:** Frank/Laurel

 **Spoilers:** Set a few weeks after 2x09. Then deviates from canon.

 **Disclaimer:** All things _HTGAWM_ belong to ABC, Pete Nowalk, and Shonda Rhimes. I'm just borrowing them.

 **Summary** : _Laurel takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tight, as if that will somehow make the last thirty seconds just a figment of her imagination. On autopilot, she stands from the couch and slowly backs away from him while trying to stem the tide of emotions rising in her—hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear. The fear is the most overwhelming, and that's what kills her because she never, ever thought it was something she would feel with Frank._

 **A/N:** This is my first multi-chapter for Flaurel, and I hope you'll enjoy. I'm going to try and post weekly; I have a few chapters written and an outline for the rest, so I will try to be consistent. Reviews/constructive criticism are always welcomed!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Prologue**

Laurel takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tight, as if that will somehow make the last thirty seconds just a figment of her imagination. On autopilot, she stands from the couch and slowly backs away from him while trying to stem the tide of emotions rising in her—hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear. The fear is the most overwhelming, and that's what kills her because she never, ever thought it was something she would feel with Frank.

If she had been paying attention, she would have seen the anguish in his eyes at her reaction.

"You... _You_ killed Lila. It wasn't Sam or Rebecca," she repeats slowly, hoping that she somehow misunderstood him but knowing that she didn't. This man that she's falling in love with couldn't have done this.

"Laurel," he says softly, as if knowing anything else will send her running even faster. "Please, let me explain; I didn't want to do it but I had to. You don't know how much Sam and Annalise have done for me."

"So, that makes killing a girl okay?!" she yells, causing him to get up and step towards her.

"Laurel, please be quiet."

She backs away quickly as he does. "Don't touch me."

He stops in his tracks, dropping his hands. She can see the hurt, and for a moment, it gives her pause. But no, she cannot feel bad about this. He's killed a girl. Her boyfriend is a murderer.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asks, wrapping her arms around her torso, subconsciously protecting herself.

"Because I love you. And I can't lie to you anymore. I don't want to be that person; I'm not. I thought you'd let me explain, that you'd eventually understand."

Her eyes squint in confusion. "You thought I'd understand?" she asks, in disbelief.

"You're the one that asked me to whack Rebecca," he throws out, helplessly, as if that would explain everything.

"And you said that wasn't who you were! Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's what I had been hoping to hear from you that night? That this idea I had that you were a hitman was ridiculous. That I couldn't be falling for a hitman."

"I'm not," he argues, crossing his arms.

"You're not?! You killed Lila for Sam. That's the definition of a hitman, Frank," she shouts, watching as he nervously keeps himself in place. She can see that he wants to quiet her down, afraid of someone hearing her. But he's respecting her space, not moving any closer. She looks at him a long moment, before continuing, her voice quieter. "Did you kill Rebecca?"

"No," he answers immediately.

"No?" she asks, clearly not believing him. "You didn't kill her?"

"I said I didn't," he whispered harshly, stepping towards her.

"And I'm supposed to believe you, why?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth," he says, desperate for her to listen.

"And if we break up," she starts, "Are you going to kill me, too?" She takes a breath, chin raised, refusing to show any of the fear overtaking her.

He takes a step back, clearly pained that the thought has even crossed her mind. "Laurel, I would never hurt you. Ever."

They stand in silence for several moments before Laurel slowly nods, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"I'm going to come and get my stuff while you're at work tomorrow. Please don't be here, and please don't come after me. This is over. I can't—I can't do this. I can't be with you after something like this."

"No, Laurel," he takes a step closer, desperation in his voice. "Please just let me explain everything. Let me try to fix this."

She shakes her head. "I can't be with someone like my father."

"I'm not your father," he responds adamantly.

"You killed a girl, Frank, and who knows what else. You know what I've gone through. How can you even ask me to forget that? To do this to myself? I won't be my mother."

"Laurel—" he tries again, sounding more defeated this time.

"No, this is over. I can't be with you. And I-I can't work for Annalise anymore. Not after all of this."

"You really think she's just gonna let you quit? After everything you've been part of? You think she doesn't have a million things to blackmail you with?"

He's sounds like he's speaking from his own experience. And she knows that he probably is but she can't let this sway her. She can't get sucked into his story. She's been put through too much, and this is exactly the thing she had been trying to get away from when she moved over 1,000 miles from her family. She has to get away from it and start over, be normal somehow.

"She's not really going to get much of a say in the matter," she says finally, her resolve clear. "I have a million and one things I can blackmail her with too. Mutually-assured destruction and all that."

There seems to be an understanding pass between her and Frank, and she can see the sadness in his eyes but she can also see that he's given up. He's not going to try and keep her in this life. At least, that's what she hopes she's seeing. She moves around him to grab her purse and walks over to the doorway to slip on her shoes. When she looks back up at him, there are tears in her eyes, his eyes too.

"She said that night that I had been through worse with my father. And maybe that's true but it doesn't mean any of this is okay, that this is what I want my life to be… And if you really love me, Frank, you wouldn't want this to be my life either."

"I do love you," he speaks up then.

"I know you do. Goodbye, Frank," she says, finally, before walking out of his door and away from his life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading and following. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I'd love to know what you think, as we get further along._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Frank's not holding it together well," Annalise says as she pushes past Laurel and into her apartment. Laurel sighs; she doesn't know why Annalise is there, doesn't want her there. It's been a week since she broke up with Frank and told Annalise she was done. She shouldn't have even opened the door it but Annalise was loud and didn't appear to be going away.

"Frank will get over it. I'm sure I'm not the first student of the month to walk away," she says cynically but not entirely convincing. Laurel has to take a breath to stop any tears threatening to fall. She isn't holding it together too well either.

"Cut the crap, Ms. Castillo. The oblivious, innocent girl routine doesn't look good on you. You and I both know just what you mean to Frank, as much as I don't like it."

"It doesn't matter," Laurel asserts, trying to ignore those words – _what you mean to Frank_ – and how they make her feel _._ "He understands why I left. I'm sure he's not happy. I'm not either but this is what I have to do to save myself, to find a way out of this. I can't accept what's been done," she says vaguely, not quite sure if Annalise knows Frank killed Lila. She has to scold herself for still being concerned about him. He deserves to go to jail. She shouldn't want to protect him like she does.

Annalise just brushes off her words. "I didn't come here for Frank anyway."

"Then why are you here?" Laurel asks, growing impatient.

"You've taken a long enough break. I've been more than understanding about it."

Laurel shakes her head. No, she was very clear that she was out. "I'm not coming back. I told you that I'm done," she reminds the older woman, summoning the courage to hold firm.

"You and I both know who was involved in my husband's death," Annalise threatens. "It's time for you to come back to the house. We need your help with the case, and while I'm not one hundred percent, I need to know that I can trust the people working for me."

"And what makes you think you can trust me?" Laurel asks, shaking her head. "What makes you think I won't go to the police? You want to tell them about what happened with Sam, go ahead. But I think you forget you were an accessory after the fact as well. You take me down, I'll take you down too." Laurel was never very good about standing up for herself but everything that had happened was changing that. She needed to take back control of her life, and that meant doing whatever she could to get out.

"I have no doubt that's true, Ms. Castillo. However, I think we both know that you don't want anything to happen to Frank, even if you did break up with him."

Laurel's head snaps up to meet Annalise's eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I've made Frank do a lot of… not exactly legal things." She shrugs. "And I've been smart enough to keep my hands clean. He's very loyal, you know? I did a lot to help him out, brought him back from the ledge. Gave him a good life and gave his parents a good life. They were really struggling… I'm sure you know by now how much family means to him… But his loyalty is shifting," she reveals, disdain entering her tone. "It seems he considers you part of his family now too, and he's told me just how much he doesn't like what I've supposedly done to you. He's never spoken back to me like that. And if he's becoming a liability over you, I may have to tell the police just what you and I both know happened to Lila."

"You know?" Laurel asks, surprised.

"I figured it out. Sam did a lot for him, even more than I did. And Sam was real good at holding things over you. But he wouldn't kill Lila himself; that was too messy for him. That only leaves one person. Frank. And if you don't come back to the house, I'll go to the police." Annalise crosses her arms and giving her that look Laurel has seen time and time again in the courtroom. That one that says Annalise knows that she's won. And she has.

"How long?" Laurel asks, taking a breath. She should refuse, let whatever happens to Frank, happen, but she can't.

"How long what?"

"How long do I have to work for you before you'll let me out?" Laurel's voice is resigned to the fact that she's not going to have the choice she thought she would.

"End of the school year. You finish out your time as one of the Keating Five and I'll let you go. I've said as much to the rest. Just a couple more months, and then you can be free."

Laurel doesn't know if she believes Annalise but if she has to she can do a couple more months. It seems a little too easy though.

"And you won't turn in Frank?" she asks looking for confirmation that she doesn't know she can trust.

"This is the last I'll mention it," Annalise promises. It rings hollow.

Laurel nods. "Fine, end of the semester and then I'm done."

"Let's go." Annalise makes her way to the door before looking back expectantly.

Laurel moves around her apartment to grab what she needs to take with her. Her mind is already thinking about what she's going to need to do to transfer to a new school. She can't stay at Middleton after all of this; it's clear she's never going to be free as long as she's in the same city as Annalise. She just has to get through the rest of the semester, and then she can have the fresh start that she wants.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

The car ride over is silent and once they arrive, Annalise is out the door and heading inside before Laurel has even gotten out of her seatbelt. After taking a couple of minutes to compose herself, Laurel heads towards the building. She didn't think she was going to have to see Frank again but here she is. He was right. She's not going to be able to get out this as easily as she thought. And it isn't because she doesn't have enough ammunition, but rather, she isn't willing to sacrifice him to be free.

She takes a breath outside, looking around the porch, her eyes landing on the spot she and Frank shared that night. She shakes her head, trying to push aside the memory and opens the door.

Once she walks into the living room, she sees everyone with their noses in files. It's quiet, no one is talking to each other. It's weird. Doesn't feel right. And she wonders how Annalise blackmailed the rest of them. Then she sees Frank. His back is to her, hunched over the desk against the wall, pouring over his own case fine.

"Ms. Castillo, you finally decided to come inside." Annalise starts breaking the silence and causing everyone to look at her in surprise. Her eyes just stay on Frank as he looks at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. And she realizes in that look that he doesn't want her to be there. He really did want her to get out. She almost starts crying but she takes a deep breath instead, trying to put up the biggest wall she's ever built.

"What did I tell you, Laurel?" Annalise continues. "You've had enough of a break. Grab a file and get to work. All hands on deck. We have too much to do. I'm sure someone here is actually capable of catching you up… Frank, my office."

Her gaze breaks from him at that as he gets up to follow Annalise, and she looks to the rest of the group.

"I'll catch you up, Laurel," Wes says from the couch. His voice is resigned. They all look defeated.

She slowly walks over and sits next to him.

"How'd she do it?" Connor asks quietly, looking over his shoulder to make sure Annalise isn't somehow right behind him.

"What do you mean?" she plays dumb. They both know she knows what he means.

"She threatened Oliver. That's why I'm here," he tells her. "I didn't think there was anything she could have said to bring you back… unless," he looks over his shoulder again, "did she threaten Frank?" he asks, almost surprised by the suggestion, even though it's his own.

Laurel just gives him a little nod, and they all take that in.

"Wow," Michaela starts, "I guess she really will do whatever it takes. Frank's been here, what? 10 years?"

"She didn't hesitate," Laurel confirms before grabbing the file Wes is holding for her. They all turn back to the work in silence.

At some point she falls asleep, and it feels like hours later when she wakes. A blanket has been carefully placed over her. It's dark out. The rest of the group seems to be gone, and it's not until she's sitting up that she realizes Frank is at the desk, coffee mug in hand, looking at her. It's almost as if he's been keeping watch over her. He looks tired, sad.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asks, trying not to let her voice sound as hesitant as she feels.

"Why are you here, Laurel?" he counters instead. Is that pain in his voice?

"Where is everyone?" She ignores his question, looking over his shoulder, sure that Annalise will appear at any moment.

"Laurel, please." He shakes his head and lays the mug down, standing up to move closer to her. "I begged her to just let you go and she said she would. So, why are you here?"

Laurel can't stop the laugh that falls from her lips at his words; she's sure he can hear the almost hysterical quality to it because he stops moving and just looks at her with more concern. She stands from the couch, throwing the blanket down, the one she realizes Frank must have placed over her. She slips her shoes on and starts to gather up her things, not saying anything more.

"Laurel, what happened?"

"Can we just not?" she asks, looking up at him. "Just because I'm here doesn't mean you and I are going to magically be okay." She ignores the pain that flashes in his eyes and continues. "Just because I'm here doesn't mean I want to be. You were right, okay? She has a million things she can blackmail me with, and I thought I'd be able to counter all of it but I was wrong. As usual she's holding all the cards, and there's nothing I can do but serve my time. I'm done at the end of the semester, and I'm moving far away from here. So, please, just don't do this." Her voice is soft in the end, despite how harsh her words must sound to him. She wishes there was something else she could say but it's clear he thought Annalise was going to let her go, and she doesn't need to give him any more ammunition to go back to her, maybe dig himself a hole that will end up in jail. She can shoulder this. She can fix it for him and for herself by being here, finishing what she started.

"Could you…" she starts before stopping herself and weighing her options. She can't walk, not when she's upset like this. She sighs. "Will you give me a ride home? Annalise drove me here and I don't think I should walk right now."

"Of course," he tells her, picking up his briefcase, before letting her lead them out and to his car. She gets in, remaining silent for much of the ride. Even though she can see him, out of the corner of her eye, glancing at her every chance he can, he doesn't try to talk to her, and she's grateful for that. She's even more grateful that the ride is short.

"Thank you," she does say finally as they get closer to her place.

"For what?" he asks, glancing over at her once more.

"For trying to get Annalise to let me go. It does mean a lot that you tried to do that for me."

She looks at him then. He looks a little angry but she can tell it's not aimed at her. "I wish it had worked. I thought it had."

She shrugs, and they fall back into silence until they arrive at her building. She glances over at him for a long moment. She thinks about Annalise's words earlier that day, how Frank thought of her as family, how much family meant to him, how Annalise had helped his family. Is that why he killed Lila for Sam? He had asked her to let him explain everything but she couldn't let that happen. If she did, she might be willing to stay, willing to give him a chance. But she couldn't do that, right?

"Was she the only one?" she hears herself ask before she can stop.

She doesn't elaborate. She doesn't need to.

"Yes," he tells her, simply, looking straight at her. It's the truth. She can see that much but it can't mean anything.

"Laurel—" he starts, reaching for her hand.

"No," she cuts him off, stopping him in his tracks. He pulls back as if she had slapped him. "Nothing—Nothing's changed here. I just needed to know."

She doesn't say anything more as she gets out of the car and heads towards her building. She notices that he doesn't leave until she's inside, seemingly making sure she's safe. She somehow felt safer in the car with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all so much for the feedback. I hope you continue to like the story and I would love to hear what you think. I wrote this chapter before the show came back, so just keep in mind that this is story does diverge from canon after the midseason finale.

Also, this story is entirely from Laurel's POV, just in case that wasn't clear. :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for reading.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Laurel's surprised at how quickly she's able to get back into the routine of it all, working for Annalise. After a couple of weeks, it's almost as though nothing actually happened, that Annalise didn't try to get them to shoot her or that they couldn't all be in a lot of trouble with just one wrong move that will unravel the Hapstall case. They're just kidding themselves though. Their movements are hesitant; they don't keep eye contact with each other for very long; small talk appears to be off the table. And that's just fine with Laurel. She was never really one for small talk anyway.

She and Frank find a new rhythm too, that is when Annalise isn't trying to make sure they're never in the same room alone with each other. If she was going to work so hard to keep them apart, why did she even bother blackmailing Laurel to come back here? She can't keep them separated all the time though and those few moments where it's just the two of them in the kitchen getting coffee or pouring over the same box of discovery are some of the most awkward Laurel has ever experienced.

Frank doesn't seem to know what to do with himself now that they've reached this point. He's too cautious around her, stilted even. She appreciates that he's trying to respect the boundaries that she set for them but it's hard to get any work done when he won't talk through the facts of their current case with her.

And she hates it because he looks so heartbroken. She never thought that would be something she'd see from this man but it's there every time he looks at her. And every time he looks at her, she's a little more tempted to give in, go home with him, and let him explain it all away. It would work too. She doesn't know why, but she'd stay. It's a reminder of why she's getting away from this place.

"Laurel."

At the end of the day, she still trusts him, knows that he would never hurt her. And she doesn't know what it says for her but she feels safe with him. With everything going on around them, knowing she really could end up in jail at a moment's notice, it's feels good to know that there is someone here that has her back. The rest of them… they could turn on her at any moment, as soon as one of them feels threatened.

"Laurel," the familiar voice repeats, this time breaking her out of those thoughts. She looks up from the case she wasn't really reading to see Frank at her side looking down at her. There's concern in his eyes. There's always concern now. She doesn't say anything, just lets him continue. "Everyone else is out. You're with me," he tells her.

Her brow knits and she looks around. Indeed, everyone else had left at some point. When did that happen?

"Annalise sent them all to the courthouse to meet with our new client. That leaves you and me to do some recon," he explains, as if reading her mind.

She's surprised that Annalise left them alone purposefully but she nods and starts to put the case in her lap back together. "Okay," she agrees, "let me just get everything together."

He nods, walking away after a moment more. She can see he wants to ask a question, start a conversation, make sure she's okay. He doesn't though. He never would have hesitated before but it's for the best. Intellectually, she knows that. Now, if only someone would tell her heart. It's wrong for her to feel this much for a murderer. On top of that, a murderer who has yet show any remorse about his actions.

Today, recon apparently means sitting in Frank's car waiting for someone–she doesn't know who–to leave a nondescript building. Frank explained it to her when he parked the car and then stopped her from getting out but she didn't really hear him. She's been in a fog today, just a haze of thoughts and feelings and trying to sort through it all.

You'd think after her childhood, knowing the things she does about her father and other family members, that she'd be better at dealing with all of this. But she's not. Crime, blackmail, murder… it's never made sense to her. Her father used to tell her that sometimes these things were necessary. You had to lock them away and not let them consume you. Frank seems to have that part down. He's very much able to compartmentalize everything, all the bad, and move on as if everything is normal. In a way, she admires that. She'd give anything to not be thinking about this past year every second of the day, overanalyzing it all.

"This might take a while," Frank says, cutting into the silence. "If you have some homework with you, you should go ahead and do it. I'll keep watch"

He gives her a smile, dimples and all, that smile that she's fallen for so deeply. She wonders if he really needed her here with him or if he just wanted her here, saw how consumed she was with her thoughts back at the house and wanted to try and help. It hasn't worked but she doesn't want to tell him that.

"Okay, if you're sure," she says, nodding. She reaches for her bag between her feet and pulls out a notebook and folder filled with law school applications.

"Yale?" Frank asks, having seen the top of one of the applications.

She takes a deep breath and nods. "Yeah, it's one of my transfer options. I have to write an essay on why I think Yale would be a better fit than where I currently am," she explains, trying not to let this be as awkward as it is.

"So, you're really doing it?" he asks, and she can hear him struggle to push his feelings out of his voice. He knows what she knows. When she leaves, that's it for them. He won't have a chance to fix this with her. She has to remind herself that he doesn't have a chance now.

"I am… I can't stay here, Frank. I'm not like you. I can't just push aside all the bad, commit horrible acts, and go on as if someone didn't just die."

Her words are harsher than she meant for them to be. She wasn't trying to hurt him, just state her observations, but she can see that it does hurt him. Of course it does. He looks away from her and out the other window, just nodding in response.

"I'm sorry," she says, voice soft. "I didn't mean anything specifically against you. I—" She pauses, taking a deep breath, because part of her really did. "I was just referring to this whole situation, Sam and Rebecca, Annalise and the shooting… I'm not strong enough to move on from it all and stay."

He looks back at her as she finishes and shakes his head. "You are strong," he says emphatically. "Strong is leaving. Strong is being able to pick yourself up and get out, start over. You've done it before. You'll do it again."

She's shocked by his words but holds his gaze. There's so much meaning there beyond her, and he's looking at her with so much adoration and respect. She has to hold back the tears that are beginning to gather. He's right. She's already had to start over when she moved from her family. And though she hasn't been here that long, she felt like she was establishing a life here, and now she has to do it all over again.

"Where else are you applying?" he asks, moving the conversation forward, when it's clear that she won't.

She smiles and looks down at the folder full of applications. "Yale is my first choice," she tells him. She doesn't know why, except maybe subconsciously, she's drawn to the fact that she won't be too far from Philadelphia, from Frank. "And then University of Virginia, Northwestern, University of Chicago," she says, trailing off. She's probably applying to too many. "There's Georgetown too." But she can see the amusement in his eyes and smiles. "It's a large mix," she said with a little laugh.

"But you're smart. Top of the class. Any one of them will be more than lucky to have you." He says, sincerely.

"Thank you," she whispers, biting at her lip, the way she does when she's nervous. "I'm scared though," she admits.

"What're you scared of?"

She shrugs and looks down at her applications. "What if this is all for nothing? I apply and get in and before I even get started, everything comes tumbling down here. Whether it's Sam or the Hapstall case. I feel like I'm just constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to mess up or get paranoid or come clean. Then I can look forward to a life in jail. I'm pretty sure it won't be like Orange is the New Black, either." She tries to joke there, knowing how hot he finds all the lesbian relationships, but it falls flat, mostly because they both know there's a real fear there.

"I'm not going to let that happen," he tells her, reaching over to grab her hand. It's the first time since they broke up that she's let him touch her. It feels good. It feels safe. She looks up at him and he's looking back at her intently. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. It's a mess, yes. But I'm taking care of it. Please trust that I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are safe and that this doesn't come back on any of you, but especially you. They don't want to get caught either. Yes, paranoia is rampant but I'm watching for it. I'll stop it before it gets that far."

She won't ask him how he'll stop it or how he's dealing with it. She knows that Annalise was relying on him to frame Catherine and to clean up their messes, and though Annalise constantly berates Frank and acts as if he can't do anything right, Laurel knows that he's smart. He can see several steps ahead and knows what he needs to do before many of the others. It's as much about saving himself as it is about saving everyone else.

"Laurel, I won't let anything happen to you."

She uses her free hand to cover his and squeezes, nodding at him. She can't stop a stray tear this time. He reached over and wipes the tear away, resting his hand against her cheek for a too brief moment. He drops his hand and turns his body back, facing forward and looking back towards their building.

"You should get back to those applications," he says softly, pulling his hand from hers as well. She doesn't want to let go but does, nodding silently, staring at him for a moment more. It's still hard for her to reconcile the fact that this is the man who killed Lila, that this man is like her father. That thought doesn't seem right; her heart says it's not true, but she has no reason to logically think otherwise.

She finally looks away, and turning back to the papers on her lap, she gets out her pen and notebook and starts to write. They sit like that in silence, though less awkward than before, for another hour before Frank decides to call it. Whatever they came for, they aren't going to get it tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all so much for reading and the favorites! I hope you continue to like the story._

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

A few weeks later, Laurel has to get out of Annalise's house. They're going through all the facts of the Hapstall case, yet again, as if something new will magically appear. She can't do it anymore. She makes her way out to the porch, hoping some fresh air will help. She takes advantage of this moment of silence, leans against the railing, and after a few moments reaches into her purse to take out an envelope, staring down at it as if all her hopes lie inside. And in a way, they do. It's from Yale. She takes a deep breath. She's been putting it off for a day now. It's a small envelope, and she knows what that probably means; it's going to be the same as the others. She just doesn't understand it. Her grades are great. They've always been great. Her essays were just as good. So, why was it that none of the schools she'd applied to wanted her?

She finally opens the envelope. She only has one more school after this, and she's going to need it.

 _We regret to inform you…_

She can't help it when the tears start to fall. She's at one of the best law schools in the country and, for some reason, none of the others want her. She doesn't know what to do now. She can't stay at Middleton, can't stay tied to Annalise or Frank. And she can't go home to Florida. Not like this. There's one more: The George Washington University in Washington, DC. A great school, for sure, but wasn't her first choice. It's her only chance now though.

She takes a shaky breath. She needs to head back inside before anyone realizes that she's slipped out. Annalise has become worse than usual, almost as paranoid as the rest of them. The prosecution was really digging through the story. It didn't make sense to then that Catherine Hapstall killed the ADA and shot Annalise before waking up in the middle of the woods. And why would that make sense? It's a ridiculous story. She's surprised it's gotten them this far to be honest. Frank told her he was going to fix this but she doesn't see how he can. The tears start to come faster now, and she reaches up to wipe at her eyes, trying to stem their flow. She has to get back inside.

"Laurel?" A familiar voice comes from behind her and she takes a breath before looking back towards the side door to find Frank. He has that look of concern again. He notices the tears immediately and steps closer.

"Laurel? What's wrong?" His voice is quieter, softer. She reaches up to wipe at her eyes again before he tries. She can tell he wants to pull her into his arms, comfort her, and she can't let him.

"I didn't get in," she speaks softly, her voice breaking slightly, as she waves the rejection letter in front of him. "To any of them. There's just one left but why would I get in there when the rest of them don't think I'm good enough?"

Frank shakes his head, stepping even closer. "No, Laurel, you are good enough. You're one of the best I've seen, and if those schools don't want you, then that's their loss."

"But I can't stay here, Frank!" she responds, her voice a little more desperate. She takes a step back. "And it doesn't make sense. My grades are good. Better than good. I know it's harder to transfer at this point but I have everything else they would want. It doesn't make sense that one of them hasn't considered me."

She notices that Frank remains quiet, unmoving, and as she glances up at him, he looks away. There's guilt in that look, like he's realized something, and she shakes her head.

"What?" she asks, slightly suspicious; her eyes are begging him to tell her that what she's thinking isn't true.

"No, nothing. I—"

"What did you do?" she cuts him off, anger starting to slip into her tone.

"Nothing," he replies but she can tell he's holding back. And she gasps softly, feeling more tears welling in her eyes.

"You told her." He voice is small, as she states her realization. She takes a step back unable to believe he would do this to her.

Frank takes a step closer, shaking his head more insistently. "No, I swear to you, I didn't tell her anything. I wouldn't do that." His tone is filled with truth but that only confuses her more.

She looks at him a moment, silence falling between them. She hates that she has to push him to tell her the truth all the time. It's yet another reminder of why it would never work with him. As if the murder wasn't enough. "Then what is it? What are you hiding?" she insists.

"I—I told Bonnie," he admits, looking down at his hands. "I told her you were transferring schools. We went out for drinks, and she was asking about you and me, about why we broke up, and I said it was because you were leaving. You couldn't stay here, and you wanted to transfer. I never thought she would tell Annalise but… It makes sense that Annalise could have interfered."

"How could you do that?!" Laurel asks, anger replacing her sadness. "I get that you want me here but to actually sabotage my chances."

"I'm not trying to sabotage anything!" He yells quietly, his voice rough.

"No? You didn't tell Bonnie exactly which schools I was applying to because you knew she would run to Annalise? You forget that I was the 'new Bonnie' for a while. I saw how Annalise looked to her to keep her in the loop on everything. And you're not stupid, Frank. You've been here a lot longer than I have, knew Annalise would drop me as soon as Bonnie was back. You had to have known that Bonnie would run to her and then I would be stuck. And that's right where you want me, isn't it?!"

Laurel knows that she's not exactly making sense. She knows deep down that Frank wants her to get out of here. He's told her as much. He's fought Annalise for her. But she just can't throw away the nagging anger that says he should know better. He did this on purpose. He doesn't say anything either, doesn't defend himself, and that's not helping. After a moment he does speak up.

"I messed up," he says with a little shrug, half-heartedly putting it out there.

She pauses, then, "That's all you have to say?"

"What else am I supposed to say, Laurel? You have it in your head exactly what I did." She knows he's not just talking about this. The pain in his eyes tell her as much. "And yes, I messed up. I shouldn't have said anything to Bonnie. I didn't mean for this to happen, really I didn't. But it's killing me to not be with you, Laurel. It's killing me to know you're going to walk out of my life forever. Even though I know it's the best thing for you, that I messed up long before we got together, it hurts… knowing that I had the best thing that has ever happen to me and I've lost it. I needed to talk to someone and Bonnie has always been that person. She saw what I've been going through and I just started talking. I didn't think… I didn't think."

He throws up his hands, shrugging, as if there's nothing else he can say. And there isn't. Nothing he can say will help her here. He should have known better. And she gets it. She understands the hurt because she hasn't stopped hurting since she walked out of his apartment. It doesn't make this any better. She knew something like this was going to happen. It's never been easy. It was never going to be the rest of the semester, the rest of her life. They're all in too deep. They know things they shouldn't know. They've done things they shouldn't have done. Every, single one of them. And now, she's stuck.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

She doesn't go back into the house that night. She leaves, telling Frank to come up with some excuse, say she's sick. He's reluctant but lets her go. Instead, she goes back to her apartment and thinks through all of her options. She doesn't have many, and she's holding out hope that maybe her last school will come through. This can't be her destiny. This can't be how it all plays outs. She's tried for as long as she's known about her father to get away from this life. She's a good person. She has to be. Yes, she's in love with a man exactly like her father, a man that kills, a man who doesn't seem to show any remorse. But just because she loves him doesn't mean she has to stay with him. This doesn't have to be her life. She can get out. She has to.

That hope lasts until the next day when Annalise calls her into her office, shutting the door and telling her to take a seat. Laurel takes a deep breath but does as she asks, sitting across from her on the other side of the desk.

"Bonnie tells me you're thinking about leaving," she starts. So, it really wasn't Frank. She feels a slight relief that he told her the truth before remembering that Bonnie only knows because of him.

Laurel doesn't let anything show, instead shrugging. "Why does it matter to you?" she asks. "It will be after this semester. I'm staying as long as you told me I needed to," she counters, remembering how empty Annalise's words sounded when she offered that deal.

Annalise gets a smile on her face, the same smile Laurel has seen countless times before in the court room, just before she goes in for the kill.

"Did you really think I was just going to let you go that easily? I really thought you would have come to this conclusion on your own. You're too good, Laurel. You could be like me—"

"I'm nothing like you," Laurel spits out, but Annalise just keeps talking as if nothing was said.

"The police are getting too close, scrutinizing everything. And I've done too much for you and your little band of murderers." Laurel watches as she stands from her chair, hands resting on the desk as she leans forward, knowing she's going to win. He voice is deadly as she does what she does best. "I didn't have to protect any of you. You killed my husband, and while I'm not all torn up at that, Bonnie, Frank and I wouldn't be in this position, if I had just let the police hang you. You decided as a group not to call the police; you decided to remove his body from the scene; you decided to clean up the house and any evidence you could find; you, Laurel, involved Frank with the murder weapon… I could go on. None of that was on me, Ms. Castillo. I wouldn't have had to do half the shit I have if not for what _you_ had done."

The fear that Laurel has been feeling since that night takes a front seat. This is what she said to Frank. She was scared it was all going to come tumbling down, and she would end up in jail, exactly where she belonged.

"I need you here, so yes, I contacted every school Bonnie told me you were applying to, and I let them know that you were not who they wanted. Yes, your grades are good, but you're a difficult student, too quiet to succeed in court, take too long to grasp simple concepts. Like this one, for example… I can't just let you go. I won't. Or else, I won't just hang you but I'll hang every one of them." Her eyes look towards the living room, and Laurel knows she's talking about her fellow students. She can't do that to them.

And why fight this now? Annalise has ruined her chances of getting anywhere else. She's going to be stuck here or she's going to have to go home. And what happens if she does that? She briefly considers calling her father, telling him everything, and letting him take care of it. But no. That would be too much. She'd be a hypocrite. She'd be asking him to do something that she couldn't even consider because she wasn't that person. Once again, she was struck by the thought that she was stuck. Is this what happened to Bonnie? To Frank? Is this why they were still here? Despite everything that they've been made to do.

Annalise's smile gets wider as she sees Laurel's fight leave her. "Good choice, Ms. Castillo. You wouldn't want to go to those other schools anyway. Not when I'm offering you the most coveted summer associate position in Philadelphia."

Laurel looks up at her. Another summer? And then what? Another year, two? Will she ever be able to get anywhere else? Or is she just going to get in even deeper? She should have known that she could never truly get away.

"I think the words you're looking for are 'thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down.'" She smirks, and Laurel just nods her heads before Annalise walks out of her office, no further discussion.

Laurel doesn't move for several moments, paralyzed by fear, anger, sadness, and who knows what else. This is it. She doesn't have a choice, not unless she's willing to hurt everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much for reading and for the reviews!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Laurel almost can't believe it as she stares down at the large envelope in her hand. She had been at the office until after midnight. The DA wants to interview them all the next day, about the night Sinclair died, the night Annalise was shot. So they took turns at the house; first Bonnie, then Frank, then Annalise grilling all of them. The questions getting harder, more aggressive, more personal. At one point, she actually wanted to punch Frank. But she understood too. They were doing whatever they could do get them through the next day, making sure that no one went down for this and that they all stuck to the script. It was draining and terrifying. All it takes is for one of them to slip, and then the whole house of cards will come tumbling down.

Her mind is so consumed with it all that she doesn't even realize the envelope she grabs from her mailbox is from DC until she gets up to her apartment and slips off her shoes, laying everything down on the entry table. When she realizes it's from her last school, she quickly rushes to open it. Inside is a folder that says right on it "Letter of Acceptance," and when she opens it up, the letter is there along with a scholarship offer that will cover most of her tuition. The relief that rushes through her is overwhelming and all of the tears that she'd been trying to hold back fall freely now.

She did it. There was one school that Annalise couldn't touch. She realizes then that she hadn't told Frank about George Washington University and that Annalise didn't know about it. They weren't able to sabotage this. And she could do this. She could get out. She doesn't know what it means for the rest of them but she can't give it up. If she just leaves, just goes away, maybe there's a chance.

She has to figure it out now though; she's not going to be able to get any sleep otherwise, so she grabs the folder and picks up her purse and keys. She slips on her shoes and hurries out of the apartment. It may be almost 2:00 A.M. but this is something that can't wait, and she knows exactly where she needs to go.

It doesn't take her long to get to Frank's apartment, and she knocks loudly on the door, hoping to wake him if necessary. She needs to see him now. It doesn't take him too long to open the door but it's clear he was getting ready for bed. He's in boxers and not much else, no shame at all that he's standing in front of her in his underwear, and why would there be? It makes it hard for her to concentrate though.

"Laurel?" he asks in confusion, his sleepy state very present. He moves to the side and lets her enter his apartment. "If this is about tonight, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean any of that. I was just trying to get to you like they will tomorrow, but I don't have the energy to fight about it tonight, Laurel," he tells her, clearly concerned that she's going to hold his words against him.

Yes, it had upset her at the time but she knows why he did it and, right now, she isn't thinking about that at all. She shakes her head.

"That's not why I'm here," she tells him, and he stands there expectedly, waiting for her to continue.

"I got in to GW," she says after a moment, holding up the folder and letting a smile cross her face. "I got in."

She watches a number of emotions cross his face before he finally settles on a small smile. "That's great, Laurel. Really. You deserve this."

She knows that he's hurt, and she doesn't blame him. It's for the best though and she has to remind herself of that.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asks. "I'm going to put some clothes on," he tells her, clearly sensing that she has a lot that she needs to talk through.

She almost tells him not to bother with the clothes but honestly, if she did that, she'd be admitting that she just wants to end up back in bed with him, and she has to resist that desire. She cannot go back there. He's not someone she should be with. So, instead, she nods and walks over to the couch as he disappears to his bedroom, returning a few minutes later in sweats and a white t-shirt. He sits next to her and she angles her body in his direction, taking a breath before speaking.

"What happens if I just leave?" she asks, needing him to talk this through with her. "You and I know Annalise will never let me go if she knows about this, so what if I just disappear?" He knows Annalise, knows how she works. If anyone is going to help her break free from this, it's going to be him.

He takes a beat and holds her gaze for a moment before answering. "She'd send me after you," he says plainly. "She's not going to just let you go after everything, so she'd send me to find you, do what I had to do to get you back to Philadelphia and her grasp. She'd use blackmail; she'd use me to blackmail you and, if I had to, do whatever I needed to destroy you so that you'd come crawling back."

She swallows hard at that, his admission telling her so much more about the things he's done for Annalise in the past. She's starting to feel hopeless again and looks down at the folder still in her hands; he doesn't pause too long before speaking again.

"But I wouldn't be able to find you," he says, softly, reaching over to place his hand on hers and trying to meet her eyes. "I'd look, go all of the country, follow whatever leads I could fabricate. But you'd have changed your phone, your emails, your credit cards, anything that I could easily use to locate you. So, I wouldn't be able to find you," he pauses, and she looks up at him, taking in the advice he's giving her. "Honestly, Laurel, it wouldn't be very hard for Annalise to track you down herself but I'd do everything I could to keep her from finding you. And, eventually, she'd give up the search. It'd no longer be worth it."

Her eyes are glassy and she just nods slightly. "You'd do that for me though?"

"I'd do anything for you," he responds immediately, and he's never sounded more sincere.

"Even if she would turn you in? If she found out you were helping me, lying to her?" she asks, and when she sees that confusion return to his eyes, she continues. "It's one of the reasons I came back... She knows about Lila," Laurel says, watching as he flinches at the mention of the name. That's new.

"She says she figured it out, that you were the one to do it for Sam. That he held something over you. If I hadn't come back to the house, to work, she threatened to go to the police, turn you in for killing her."

Frank flinches again but then shakes his head. He's about to speak, but she doesn't let him.

"And then last week, she threatened everyone else. When she called me into her office. She offered me summer associate, made it clear that I didn't have a choice, and threatened the others if I tried to transfer to another school. She said that she would let them go down for what we did to Sam." She's crying now. "I can't let that happen to them. I can't let that happen to _you._ "

"It's an empty threat, Laurel," he says, and she can tell through her tears that he's trying to be the rational one here. He's trying to calm her down and formulate his own plan.

Laurel shakes her head and, for the first time since his admission, she reaches out to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head in his shoulder, looking for some sort of comfort. "No," she tells him through her tears after a moment. "She was serious, Frank. She knew that I wouldn't let her do anything to you, and if I leave, and she finds out you helped me, she'll—"

"Shhh," he quiets her softly, his arms wrapping around her. She feels safe when she's with him. She trusts him to make sure nothing happens to her, and she feels like she can let go. All of the stress and fear and holding back finally free to leave her body.

After several minutes, she takes a deep breath, calming. "Maybe it would be better if I just stay here. Then nothing will happen to you. She won't turn you or any of them in. I can't be responsible for that. I've already done too much," she says softly. She feels Frank shake his head and pull away, so she lifts her head to look at him.

There's a fire in his eyes, and he gently grips her shoulders and holds her a few inches from him, ensuring that she's looking right at him as he speaks.

"No. You are not going to let me or any threats from Annalise stop you from getting away from her. You deserve so much more than this, Laurel. So much more than me. And I will not be the reason that you stay," he tells her, an anger in his voice but one that's not directed at her.

"Frank…"

"You have to accept this offer. This is what you want. I can handle Annalise. I've gotten out of worse than this. She's using the fact that you are a good, caring person against you. She's not going to turn anyone in. That wouldn't be good for her either..." he notes. "I'm going to be okay. I know too much about her, Laurel, been through too much with her. I can handle this. I'm not worried about me or the rest of the group," he pauses, and his hands run down her arms until he's taking her hands in his. "But I am worried about you. This is your chance, Laurel. If you don't get out now, you're going to end up like me, and I can't let that happen. I won't let you get stuck here. Please, you have to go."

"Promise?" she asks softly. "Promise that you'll be okay. That everyone else will be too."

"I promise," he whispers, moving closer to her. She thinks he's going to kiss her, thinks that she wants him to, but he doesn't. Instead he rests his forehead against hers, his hand resting against her cheek. "I told you I had your back. You always want to take care of everyone else but let me take care of you. Trust me to handle this, please."

She nods slightly, swallowing the lump in her throat. The sincerity is his voice, in his eyes, is more that she's ever seen from him. She does trust him. She probably shouldn't. Almost everything inside her is telling her that he's not a good person. He's just like her father, and her father knows exactly what to do to get what he wants. But she realizes with one look at him then that this isn't what Frank wants. He wants her, loves her. He wants to be with her. She knows how hard it is for him to go against Annalise. He's so blindly loyal to her. And instead, he's telling her to go, promising to do whatever he can so that she can go.

She pulls back a little and his hand drops away. "Okay," Laurel finally agrees. She knew he could help her figure this all out. That she made the right decision in coming here. "I'll go. At the end of the semester, I'll go."


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN:** There are spoilers in this chapter through the Season 2 Finale. _

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Somehow, they all get through their interrogations without anyone slipping. It was tough; the DA knew exactly what to say to try and get each of them to go against the other but they were a united front, and they spend the next couple of weeks doing everything they can to make sure Catherine and Philip look as guilty as possible. She never thought going to law school would mean breaking so many laws but she does what she has to in order to protect their group and see that everyone can move on, maybe find some semblance of a normal life, at least as normal as it can be for a law student.

It turns out that it doesn't take too much for the DA to successfully prosecute Catherine and Philip. When it becomes clear that he's not going to crack them, he has to change tactics. An ADA was murdered, there were three other unsolved, high-profile murders, and the pressure from City Hall was becoming too much for him. They wanted someone to pay. So, he went after the easiest person to convict. And all of the evidence did point to Catherine Hapstall; Frank did that part right.

Laurel still can't believe that the story worked, that they've gotten out of this. True, an innocent girl is going to jail, and Laurel is having a little trouble with that, but the actual evidence does point to Catherine murdering her parents, and so maybe it's okay that this happened, that they ended up here. It's what she has to tell herself, at least. It's hard enough to sleep at night as it is.

In the end, it all seems too easy though. She can't really relax about this because who knows what can still happen, if Catherine and Philip are going to fight the conviction, or if someone pieces together the evidence. But Annalise, Bonnie, and Frank are breathing easier, the tension between them settling. And they've been doing this a lot longer than she has, so she takes what little comfort she can and turns to her last two weeks of class.

Annalise gives them time off to focus on their finals. It turns out they were all offered summer associate positions with her. A way of keeping them all close no doubt, making sure no one grows a conscience. Laurel uses those two weeks to pack up her small, one-bedroom apartment and figure out what she's going to do in DC. Her finals go well, and after the last one, she heads to the office. She has an appointment with Annalise to discuss how the semester went and how the summer will go. Frank assures her it's normal. This is actually something Annalise does every year with her Keating Four but this hasn't been like every year, and the last time she had a one-on-one with Annalise, she left it feeling hopeless.

This time it's different though because she has a plan. And nothing is going to change it. She enters the house and sees Frank sitting at his desk. She gives him a small smile when he looks up at her.

"She's in her office," he tells her, motioning in that direction.

She nods and starts to walk that way but stops when she gets a little closer to him. "Are you going to be home tonight?" she asks softly, quiet enough so that Bonnie won't hear.

"Yeah," he answers, just as soft. "Wanna come over?" he asks, hopeful, and she just nods before walking on back to Annalise's office.

"Ah, Miss Castillo, come on in and close the door," Annalise greets when she sees Laurel enter. She does just that, closing the door behind her and walking over to the chair in front of the desk. Taking a breath, she just waits.

Annalise clasps her hands and lays them on the desk. "I know it's not been an easy year, Laurel. Things have happened that have changed everything, for all of us, but putting that aside, you've shown great promise. We've been lucky to have you here."

Laurel has to stop herself from laughing. This woman sitting in front of her is acting as if they haven't murdered and framed people and broken a dozen laws. _Not an easy year_. That's the understatement of the century. When she doesn't say anything, Annalise continues on.

"I hope you understand why I've done what I have, said what I have. It was important that we remained united. And it's one of the reasons I want you all back here this summer. Because it doesn't have to be like this, Laurel. We all got in too deep but now it's behind us, and we have a chance to move forward. And you all have a chance to really learn. So, I hope you'll see this summer as a chance to start over."

Laurel smiles then because Annalise doesn't know just how much she'll be starting over this summer. And if Laurel didn't know any better, she'd think the older woman was sincere, truly meant what she was saying. But Laurel recognizes the manipulation. She's seen her father do the same thing time and time again. She also knows that the others will fall for it. That at one point, Frank and Bonnie fell for it too.

"I do see it as a chance to start over," Laurel responds after a moment. "I think things can be much better than they have been, and I'm very much looking forward to moving forward."

It's easy to say because it's all the truth. She's just leaving out the fact that she'll be doing it all somewhere else.

"Good," Annalise smiles wide, "I'm very glad to hear that, Laurel. So, you're all set to start in two weeks?"

"I am," Laurel lies. "I'm going to head home tomorrow, spend some time with my family, and then I'll be back here and ready to work."

It's convincing. That's easy to do when it feels like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Annalise stands then, signaling their little talk is over.

"Great, we look forward to having you back. I know Frank's glad his girl will be sticking around."

Laurel just gives her a nod and smile. Of course she's still trying to use Frank against her. But she's learned not to give any weight to Annalise's words. She stands as well and says her goodbyes before walking out. Both Bonnie and Frank are gone when she does, and so she leaves the house one last time.

That night, she heads to Frank's apartment. It's the last stop before she leaves for good. Her apartment is all packed, and the movers will be coming in the morning to pick everything up and take it down to DC. She'll be leaving then, too.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

She knocks on his door, and he almost immediately answers. So, he was waiting for her.

"Hi," he says softly, moving aside so that she can enter. She does so, looking around at the place that's become almost like home to her before turning around to face him as he shuts the door. He's in a black tank top and jeans. He looks just as good relaxed as he does in three-piece suits, and she thinks about how much she is going to miss him. If she's honest, her heart has won here. She can't accept that he killed a girl but she can accept that he's not her father, that there was a reason – right or wrong – for his actions.

"I need you to explain it to me, Frank," she says, and he gives her a look of confusion though they both know what she's asking for. "Please, Frank," she whispers. "I need to understand why you did it, why you killed Lila."

His eyes flinch at the reminder, and she uses it. "See, you didn't want to do it. I can see that. Every time I've mentioned it the last couple of times we've talked, you do that." She walks over to the couch and sits down before looking up at him, as he slowly moves towards her. "You wanted to tell me that night, and I just left. But I'm here now. I'm ready to listen, and I need you to tell me, prove to me that I'm not wrong to love you."

His eyes snap to hers. It's the first time she's admitted her love for him out loud, and she sees it hit him before he sits down next to her, nodding. "Okay," he says softly.

"I guess I should start from the beginning," he takes a breath, looking down at his hands and not at her.

"I told you my dad was a mechanic..." She nods, even though he's not looking at her. "Sam had been going to him for years, as long as I can remember… My dad, he wasn't always in a wheelchair," he starts, looking up at Laurel then. "He was in a car accident about 13 years ago. It was hard on the whole family and my parents were really struggling to make ends meet. Between medical bills and being unable to work for so long, they were going underwater fast… I tried to help. I worked at the shop and picked up another job on the side but… I'm not that great with the books, and I was young with little experience, so while we had people who could work on the cars, I wasn't doing the best job managing them. And— they almost lost the shop," he explains, and Laurel can see how much he blames himself for that. She wants to stop him, tell him that it wasn't his fault, and that he was being a good son but he's focused on the story. She doesn't want to interrupt that, so she quietly sits and lets him continue.

"Sam came in a few months later, and he asked about my dad. I had seen him before but I didn't really know who he was or how well he knew my dad. I told him about what happened and everything. He offered to help. Said that he really liked my dad and didn't wanna see him lose the place. So, he helped us hire someone to manage the shop while my dad was out. I couldn't do it, and I told him we didn't have the money for it, so he paid for it all. And then he offered me a job with his wife's firm, said I would be paid enough to help out my folks… I didn't finish college," he said, embarrassed, "I barely got through the first semester. It was the best offer I was ever going to get. Sam was rich, and he wanted to help my parents. I couldn't say no to that, so he got someone to help out until my dad was better, and Annalise hired me."

Laurel nodded, everything starting to make sense. Sam really did help him out, changed his life and his parents'. "You felt obligated to him," she states, as the thought occurs to her. He looks over at her then, almost as if he forgot she was beside him.

"I did," he nods in confirmation. "I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to earn that position and make my parents proud. They didn't like taking handouts and it was important to them that I was earning my place in the firm. So, I worked as hard as I could, did everything Annalise needed me to and tried to do it right." He laughed a little. "I did a lot wrong in the beginning, and Annalise wasn't as bad as she is now but she wasn't that great then either. She demanded perfection, and I didn't have that then. I don't have that now," he finishes before taking a breath. She can hear the anxiety in that.

"Frank, you deserve to be where you are. You're smart, and you always think two steps ahead. Annalise is lucky to have you," she tells him, but he just brushes off her words and continues.

"I worked so hard for two years and eventually my dad was able to get back to work at the shop, and everything was good there. I continued with Sam and Annalise, not just for my parents but for myself. I wanted to be better…" He pauses to take a breath. "Annalise eventually took me to Ohio for a case, and I just wanted to be the best for her, impress her, make her see that I did deserve to be there, you know? She had her moments but sometimes, I just wasn't good enough and she didn't hesitate to tell me."

He pauses then and Laurel realizes that he's starting to reach the point of the story. Through everything he's telling her, she's starting to see a completely different side of him. And she thinks she's not entirely wrong to love him. He's not at all what she's assumed. She can see already how Sam and Annalise have this hold over him.

"What happened, Frank?" she asks softly, gently encouraging him to continue.

"I was at the hotel bar and this woman approached me. Gave me her room key, and I went with her. I was surprised. Believe it or not, I wasn't always so great with women," he attempts to joke, and she rolls her eyes and laughs lightly because at least he's able to do that right now. It helps lighten whatever's about to follow.

"We didn't get far though because she pulled away and then pulled out a suitcase full of cash. Three million." So, that was where the suitcase of money came from, she realizes, thinking back to the storage locker and their search for Rebecca. But how would he still have that? Why?

"She'd give it to me if I placed a bug in Annalise's room. They were having difficulty with this case and the client's father was a real ass, and I just thought they were trying to get a mistrial. I didn't know what they were going to do."

Dread starts to fill Laurel, and she reaches her hand out to take Frank's, letting him know that she was there.

"I didn't know if I was gonna do it but when I went to talk to Annalise, she started berating me, calling me white trash, saying I was only there because of Sam and it felt like such a… I had tried so hard to be good for her. I know I messed up but I did a lot right too. I was learning."

He pulls his hand away from hers, and she studies him. She sees pain, sorrow, and she can tell that this is something that's been with him for ten years. "I planted the bug. And they weren't using it for a mistrial. They set up an accident. A truck slammed into her car."

Laurel gasps softly then and he raises his eyes to her, confirming what he's saying, tears in his eyes as he continues. "She was pregnant, Laurel. And- the—the baby didn't make it… I told Sam, immediately. I told him what I did, that I was responsible."

"No, Frank you didn't know—" she starts before Frank continues, tears spilling over.

"I killed their baby, and he wouldn't let me tell Annalise, said she could never know. I wanted to tell her but he threatened me, he—I couldn't tell her. And he—" He devolves then, showing so much remorse and guilt, and it's overwhelming to her, seeing him in so much pain. She feels tears in her eyes too.

"He held it over you for the next ten years," she finishes for him, everything clicking into place for her. She can't imagine what that must have been like, to live in guilt for ten years, to have someone holding that over you, manipulating you. Sam and Annalise spent the next ten years making him feel more and more indebted to them. Annalise may not have known his role in her loss but it was clear from his story, that even before this happened, she made him feel like he wasn't good enough. He spent the next ten years feeling like he had to do everything for her, make it up to her somehow. She can't even imagine. Frank wasn't like her father at all. Sam was.

Laurel moves even closer and wraps him in her arms, trying to provide whatever comfort she can. Through his tears, he tries to continue, jumping past what she can only imagine is ten years of constant reminders.

"When he came to me about Lila," he starts before Laurel quiets him.

"Shhh, you don't have to tell me. I understand."

"No," he shakes his head before taking a breath and pulling away to look at her. "I do; I do have to tell you. I have to say this."

She nods, silently, and lets him continue. "I didn't want to do it. He told me I might need to take care of it, if she didn't go through with the abortion. And all I could think about was that Annalise couldn't find out he got this girl pregnant. I couldn't let him do that to her. But when he called me, told me I had to do what we talked about, I—I told him I didn't think it was the best way but he said I owed him… And when we talked earlier, he threatened my parents, threatened to tell Annalise what I had done. I—It felt like I didn't have a choice. I did owe him. And so I— god, I killed her," he finishes, anguish in his voice, the tears falling again.

Laurel's own heart breaks because it's hurting her to see him like this. It kills her that this is what he's gone through. He's pushed all of this away, compartmentalized all of it—the murder, Annalise's baby, all of the illegal activity. He's finally letting it out, finally feeling it, and she sees he's not what she thought. She can't ever really excuse the murder but hearing his story, knowing just how Annalise can be, the manipulation he's experienced for ten years, the guilt… she understands it. She understands how he didn't think there was a choice, that it was his only option. And she hates that he was in that position. That he's still in this position. Suddenly, she has an idea, and she speaks it before even thinking it through.

"Come with me," she blurts, and he looks up at her, startled. "To DC. Leave with me. We can start over together, get away from Annalise and the guilt and the pain and build a new life together. You don't deserve this either, Frank. We could have a better life together; we can heal away from all of this."

He looks at her for a long minute, and she can see he's weighing everything, going through the options. He rests his hand against her cheek, and she starts to tear up because she can tell that he won't.

"I want nothing more than to go with you, Laurel; start over with you," he tells her softly, pain very clear in his tone. "I've never loved anyone the way I love you. I've never even considered telling anyone everything I've told you, not even Bonnie. I want a future with you… but," he drops his hand, she takes a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever is next, "I can't leave the rest of my family. I feel like you could be—you are my family," he says decidedly, and her breath catches because Annalise may have said it but to hear from him, just how much she means, is overwhelming. "But I can't leave my parents, I can't."

She nods, understanding, breathing out slowly and hoping to stem the tears. But it hurts because until she said it, she didn't realize just how much she wanted to be with him.

"And Annalise… she has a lot more on me than she does on you. And she may eventually let you go but I've got more than ten years with her, and she's not going to let me just disappear. She won't. And she may not be the best person but I still owe her everything."

Laurel doesn't understand that part but she gets why he thinks that. Frank is loyal to a fault, and he blames himself for all of this.

"What if I stay?" she asks softly, not quite ready to let him go.

"No, no, we're not going back there." He shakes his head. "It's better for you to go, to get out. You have to get away from this, Laurel. It's all you've ever wanted. And I'm not going to let you change all of that for me."

"I love you," she whispers, tears in her voice.

His hand comes up to her cheek, thumb brushing a tear away. "I love you too. I'm always going to love you."

Laurel pushes any hesitation out of her brain as she leans forward to kiss him. It's soft at first but filled with every emotion, every ounce of love. He kisses back, and it doesn't take long for the kiss to deepen. Frank's arms wrap around her, pulling her onto his lap, and Laurel goes willingly, pulling herself as close him as she can. It's everything, this moment. It's passionate and bittersweet; it's loving and heartbreaking; it's a promise and a goodbye.

She parts from his lips, only slightly to look at him and tell him exactly what she wants. "Make love to me." She whispers it so softly, she's not sure he can hear it but he must because he places his hand on the back of her head and pulls her back into his lips.

Standing from the couch, he easily lifts her with him bringing her legs around his waist. He walks them into the bedroom until he gets to the bed. Gently, he lays her down, hovering over her. They take their time, spend hours reacquainting themselves with the other's body, moving their hands and lips over every inch.

Frank takes what feels like hours between her legs, making her feel things she never has with anyone else. She's never afraid to be loud with him and, with as good as he's making her feel, her moans only grow louder. She focuses only on how she feels, only on this moment, how raw and real everything is. She doesn't think about what happens after because, in this moment, she needs this to be all she knows.

Eventually, he kisses his way up her body and, as he positions himself above her, their eyes meet, and for several moments, they just look at each other.

"I love you," he says his voice thick with emotion, and she so overcome with her own emotions all she can do is nod and pull him down to her, kissing him deeply, trying to make this last forever. He pushes inside her and she cries out into his mouth as he thrusts slowly, deeply, completely. It is making love. It's always been amazing between them, filled with emotion, but this is different. This is everything, and it's something she's never experienced.

Finally, they come together, their arms wrapped around the other, breathing heavily.

After, Laurel is pulled tightly into Frank's side, her head resting on his chest, just over his heart.

"Change your phone as soon as you get there," he says quietly, breaking through the silence. "Change your number. And get your new license as soon as you can, change your plates."

"I will," she whispers softly. He's going through a checklist. It's what he told her before but she knows he wants to make sure she understands what she needs to do to make it harder for Annalise to find her.

"And take out cash in the morning. Have enough so that you can get by until you get your new bank account and credit cards set up."

"I know," she says, nodding against his skin. "And I'll change my emails. And I—I won't contact you," she finishes, knowing that she can't. This has to be the end.

He pulls her closer then, as if it hurts him as much as it's hurting her to know that this is it.

"I love you, Frank… Promise me you'll be careful, you won't do anything stupid for her again."

She can hear the smile in his voice. "I won't do anything stupid. I love you, Laurel, more than anything. And I know you're going to go on to do amazing things."

They stay curled up in each other's arms like that, just talking about what Laurel needs to do, Frank promising that he'll get Annalise to let Laurel go, convince her that she isn't a threat. He'll protect her.

But eventually, reluctantly, Laurel has to pull away. Silently, she gets dressed with Frank watching her from the bed. She can't stay the rest of the night because, if she sleeps here in his arms, she may never leave. And she knows she has to leave. It's what's best for her.

He walks with her to the door and kisses her before she leaves.

"Goodbye, Frank," she whispers, looking at him for a moment. She smiles softly.

He returns the smile, but is unable to say goodbye to her. Instead of lingering, she turns and starts to walk away, knowing that he's watching her until she's out of sight and out of his life.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! I would love to know what you think._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Two Years Later**

Laurel looks down at the envelope holding the key to her future. It's been more than two months since she's taken the bar exam. A two-day exam she spends months preparing for and agonizing over, and this is the moment of truth. It hasn't been easy for her since leaving Philadelphia, since leaving Frank. He stays true to his promise, never shows up at her door telling her she has to come back, no contact or news from Annalise either. And she never hears from the others. Of course, she didn't give them any warning. If they tried to contact her, they would find that she had disconnected her phone. And if one of them got enterprising and contacted her parents, they would find that her parents have no idea where she is. As far as they know she's in Philadelphia. And she doesn't let them think any different. It's easier that way.

She really has been on her own, and it's a little harder than she expected when she arrives in DC. She still has her parents' money but she has no friends, no boyfriend. She has to be careful about everything she does. It's nothing like starting over in Philadelphia, at Middleton. But she makes it work somehow; she goes out almost every night trying to forget, either with too much alcohol or a random man, most of the time with both. It never works; why would it? But, eventually, she starts to relax into a new rhythm. And the further and further she gets from that first year of law school, the more she feels herself settle into DC.

And she does well, does everything she can not to look up anything about Middleton or Annalise or Philadelphia. Law school is normal; she's able to focus on class and homework and able to join Law Review and do all that entails. There's no over-demanding, less than legal boss. There's no murder or cover ups. She's a normal student; one that ends up at the top of her class.

She graduates in May with an offer to join one of DC's most prestigious firms pending her admission into the bar. She spends the past summer studying for that exam and interning for the federal government. Her social life has turned around as well. She goes out often with new friends, people that will never know her as well as those four in Philadelphia do. She will always share some weird bond with the rest of the Keating Five because of what they went through. And she hates that she misses Asher's ridiculous comments, Connor's sarcasm, Michaela's freak outs, and dealing with Wes' issues. She often wonders where they are now, if they made it through law school without another murder, if they got away from Annalise.

She's pulled out of her thoughts as a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind, lips and smooth skin pressing against her cheek.

"Hey, babe," he speaks, and she can hear the smile in his voice. She smiles back, turning to look at him.

She even has a boyfriend. Someone she started dating about a year and a half ago. She didn't really want to go on that date when he asked but wasn't that what she was supposed to be doing? She couldn't keep think about Frank and a relationship she would never have with him. She was supposed to be moving on. She should be actually dating. So she went out with him, and they hit it off.

"Hey," she responds softly, looking over at the clock. She's been so lost in her thoughts, she doesn't even know how much time has passed. "I thought you were working late tonight?" she asks.

Mark's a lawyer at the same firm where she'll be starting. He graduated the year before her. She likes him; she really does. It's not the same though, and she often questions what she's doing. But to anyone on the outside looking in, they would seem like the perfect couple. Laurel makes sure of that.

"Yeah, I was able to get out earlier than expected," Mark says with a shrug, before noticing the envelope in her hand. "What's that?" he asks.

"Oh nothing," Laurel replies, brushing it off and tossing the envelope into the trash. "Just another credit card offer," she lies. She doesn't want to open it in front of him, doesn't want to deal with the celebration or the sorrow that will follow depending on its contents. It's something she would rather find out on her own.

He takes her words at face value and nods before smiling. "What do you say we go out tonight?" he asks.

"Sounds good," she says with a smile.

"Good, I'm going to get a shower then before we do." He leans in and kisses her, and for a moment, all is right. "Love you," he finishes before walking away.

Laurel sighs. He does love her. He's been saying it to her for a year. She's never been able to say it back but that doesn't seem to deter him. Maybe, one day, she could love him back. That's what she's supposed to do. Find a nice guy, fall in love, get married, and have children. That's how it's supposed to go. And she has this guy in front of her who does love her. And whenever she thinks about how she should just say 'I love you' back—just to get it out there and hope that one day it's true—all she can really think about is Frank, the fact that she gave him her heart a long time ago, and he never really gave it back.

Once she hears the water start in the shower, she goes back over to the trash and retrieves the envelope. Taking a breath, she opens it, and a small smile spreads across her face as she starts to read. She's passed the bar, will be admitted to DC. That means she'll have her job, to start in just a few weeks. It's everything she's worked so hard for, and she can't help but wish she was celebrating this moment with Frank. She shakes her head, silently cursing herself for the thought. It's pathetic that after more than two years, she still thinks about him every day.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

They aren't living together but they might as well be. Mark comes over more often than not. Just walks in, no advance notice, stays far too long sometimes. Like tonight. She just wants to be by herself and lay in bed, thinking about how she's passed the bar and what's next without having to hear his soft snores next to her. But after going out, they come back to her apartment, and she knows he's planning to stay. So she goes through the motions; they have great sex, and then he promptly falls asleep. There's that, at least.

Shaking her head, she runs her fingers through her hair. She feels bad when she thinks like this. He really is a good guy. She does enjoy being with him. And the sex is fantastic every time. He's not as good as Frank but she's pretty sure it's never going to be as good as it was with him, no matter who she's with. That's not Mark's fault. He's a good substitute.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly climbs out of bed, being careful not to wake him. She doesn't sleep well anymore. Mostly because she barely slept the last year of law school, too much homework and reading and writing, all of the things she had to do to make sure she succeeded. It's messed with her whole sleep schedule.

Walking into the living room, she grabs the remote as she sits on the couch and turns on the TV, making sure the volume is low. The local news is on, and she decides to leave it there. It's mostly just background noise for her to analyze all of her thoughts; that's probably another reason for her insomnia.

She's going to have to tell Mark about passing the bar soon. She'll call the office tomorrow to report her status, and it won't take long for that news to get back to him. He'll want to celebrate, of course, have a big dinner with all of their friends. And she should enjoy that. After all, he's happy for her, proud of her; he wants to share her successes. She smiles at that. He really is great.

Maybe she needs to give into the feelings and stop holding on to the past. Frank wanted her to go on and be happy, start a new life, and she wants that too. She wants to be happy, and Mark could make her happy, if she let him. This is what she's always wanted, so she owes it to herself to give him a real chance. So, she will.

And once she makes that decision, she feels a bit lighter. She's doing what she should, moving towards the future, and she's ready to start that journey tomorrow.

" _Finally tonight, we turn to a case that's taken an interesting turn in Philadelphia,"_ the newscaster reports, and the mention of Philadelphia gets Laurel's attention. She looks up at the screen and feels her heart start to race.

Under the graphic of handcuffs are the words:

 **HAPSTALL MURDER CASE**

Laurel never wanted to see that name again, and she quickly reaches for the remote, turning up the TV a little more.

"… _and the case had been in the midst of an appeal when the District Attorney's office decided to reopen their investigation into the night ADA Emily Sinclair was murdered more than two years ago. That new investigation has led Philly PD to the arrest tonight of Frank Delfino, an associate of Catherine Hapstall's original attorney Annalise Keating. Delfino is being held in connection with the murder though the exact charges are unclear… And we'll be back with your final wake-up weather in just a moment…"_

 _No. No. No no no._ Laurel could not have heard that right. The pounding in her ears as she reaches for her phone is deafening. Quickly she searches the internet for more information, something that will corroborate the story she's just heard. It can't be true. Frank did everything he could to cover up what happened that night. Did he mess up? Was there something he missed?

Every article she finds confirms her fears. Frank's been arrested, though there's no mention of anyone else, no mention of Annalise outside of Frank's association with her. And there's no mention of the charges, having been arrested so late. All that is mentioned is that a press conference will be held the next morning. Laurel can only think about is what Frank must be going through, what his parents are going through. This can't be right. He can't be in jail. Asher killed Sinclair. It wasn't him. He isn't responsible for this one. He was just cleaning up their mess.

She doesn't know what she should do but she has to do something, and, against her better judgement, she starts dialing a number she memorized years ago, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Hello, Keating and Associates. If this is a member of the press, Ms. Keating has no comment. Do not call back."

"Bonnie," she speaks, taking a breath. This is a stupid decision. She shouldn't be calling like this. There's a beat before Bonnie responds.

"Why are you calling here?" Bonnie asks, her voice lower, filled with condescension and… is that worry?

"I—" she doesn't know what to say at first because it's a good question. Why is she calling? Exposing herself like this? Frank would yell at her, if he knew how reckless she was being. But she needs answers.

"I saw the news," she states simply.

"As I said, no comment," Bonnie says in a louder voice—Annalise must be close by—before continuing on softer, "Do you know what he did so that she wouldn't find you? Don't call back."

"Annalise is going to take care of it, right? Fix this?" she asks desperately, quickly, before Bonnie hangs up on her. Everything in her voice willing Bonnie to tell her that it will all be okay.

There's a pause, a long pause, and Laurel almost wonders if Bonnie did hang up on her. But when she finally speaks, her voice is lower and harder to hear. Laurel strains to get every word.

"Annalise put him there," Bonnie says. "He's… He's going to go down for this, Laurel."

* * *

 _Thank you so much for reading and for the reviews/follows/favorites! They are truly appreciated._


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Thank you so much, Sam, for your review(s), and thank you everyone for reading! I really appreciate it._

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _Annalise put him there. He's going to go down for this, Laurel_. Bonnie's words play over and over in her head as she sits there, staring down at her phone. Bonnie hung up on her after that probably trying to keep them both out of trouble with Annalise. She clearly knows what Frank has done for her. It shouldn't surprise her that they talked. Bonnie is his best friend.

 _Annalise put him there._ Of course she did. They must have been getting close. If Catherine's case was under appeal and the police reopened their investigation, they'd have seen what Laurel has seen all along: the evidence doesn't make sense. The evidence points to a different story. The evidence points to all of them, ultimately to Annalise. And if they're getting close to her, Laurel knows that the woman will do whatever it takes to keep herself safe. After all, she framed Nate for Sam's murder. It would be much easier for her to turn on Frank, a man she isn't sleeping with, isn't in love with, and a man who she routinely treats like crap.

If Annalise is going to let him go down for this, then Bonnie isn't going to be able to help him. After all, Annalise can easily turn on Bonnie too.

It doesn't take her long to figure out what she has to do. She doesn't have another choice. After waking Mark to let him know that she needs to go out of town for a few days to help a friend in Philly, she packs a bag. Mark doesn't ask details, and she doesn't give them. The entire time though he is trying to make her get some rest first, reminding her that it only takes three hours to get to Philly. Is she really going to be able to do anything when she gets there at three in the morning? Of course she's not. She silently curses his logic and agrees to get a few hours of sleep before leaving.

She crawls back into bed with him but doesn't sleep. He falls asleep easily though, while she just stairs at the ceiling, trying to think about what it is she can actually do to help. She can get Frank a lawyer maybe, make sure that it's someone who will aggressively defend him. It's an option—she has enough money from her parents to get the best—but no one is going to be as invested in helping him as she would be. No one is going to understand the whole story, everything that actually happened that night and why. He needs someone who already knows the details—the fabricated tale—and someone who understands how Annalise operates.

She uses her phone to look up her options. She's just been admitted to the DC bar. She's allowed to practice in DC now but not Philadelphia. She does remember learning potential work arounds in school, about how sometimes a judge will permit a lawyer admitted to the bar in one state to represent a client for a single case in another. So, she spends the next three hours finding all the information she can, figuring out exactly what it is she needs to do. She's right that she can be admitted to practice on a _pro hac vice_ basis. It might not work. It probably won't. She's got to get Frank to agree, Bonnie to go against Annalise, and a judge to approve it all. But it's worth a shot. It's her only shot.

At four, after taking a shower and stopping by the nearest Starbucks, Laurel is in her car making the drive up to Philadelphia. This may be the stupidest thing she's ever done. She knows nothing about Frank's life now, if he's moved on, if he'll even want to see her. Everything has changed. And for the first time that statement really feels true. She didn't realize until this moment that some part of her is still expecting to end up with him one day, that the past two years were just a detour. But that's never going to happen. She never would have seen him again, if she stuck to the plan. So, who's to say Frank didn't just find another girl? Maybe he's been happier going back to multiple girls for a limited time. Maybe he's harbored some resentment towards her for actually leaving him, for not accepting what he did from the beginning.

She knows that last thought is ridiculous but it doesn't stop her overactive mind from going down that road. And that's how she spends the next three hours. She rehearses what she's going to say to the police, what she's going to say to Frank, and how she's going to proceed. She thinks about how everything could go wrong, not just for Frank, but for everyone involved that night, for herself. It doesn't deter her.

When she arrives at the police station, she assumes he doesn't have a lawyer yet. Telling the officer at reception that she's here to see her client, the lie rolls off her lips easily. She gives her name, shows her driver's license, signs the log, and that's it; they don't know any better. She breathes a sigh of relief that she gets through the first hurdle so easily. She knows that it's going to be the easiest one, that everything else is going to be harder, but it's a start at least.

She's told that the charges against Frank include murder for Emily Sinclair, attempted murder for Annalise, and tampering with evidence, among others. That leaves Laurel reeling. Annalise really is going to let him go down for all of it, everything that happened that night.

The woman takes her through the precinct back to a private room and tells her that the prisoner will be brought in shortly. _Prisoner_. That word makes her stomach turn. She doesn't want to think about Frank in this place, about the fact that he's going to be sent to an actual prison and not just stay in this station. Most people, if they knew what he had done, would say that it's exactly where he deserves to be but she can't bring herself to think that. Knowing how he ended up in that situation, she knows that it's not who he is. He's not a monster; he's not a psychopath. He's was naïve and ended up in a life he couldn't get out of so he just embraced. And at the end of the day, he's not here because of Lila. He's being accused of something he didn't actually do. And she can't accept him going to jail for that.

" _I don't have a lawyer,_ " she hears his angry voice after several minutes coming down the hall, and she takes a breath, preparing herself for the next step.

When the door opens, his eyes lock on hers instantly, and she sees all the emotions that he tries to hide, surprise being the most prevalent. He must have been expecting Bonnie. Of course.

He turns to the officer, and when he speaks, his tone is devoid of any emotion. "She's not my lawyer," he says.

The officer rolls his eyes and pushes Frank further into the room. "She's the only lawyer that's come for you. So, unless you want a public defender that's not going to care one way or another if you fry, I suggest you sit down," he states simply before closing the door and locking Frank in the room with her.

"Hi," she says softly, once they're alone.

He stares at her for several moments before slowly walking to the table and pulling out the chair with his handcuffed hands, sitting opposite of her without a word. He locks down his emotions, and now all she sees is a blank stare. She doesn't know what she was expecting to happen when she saw him again. And she forgets everything she rehearsed in the car. She doesn't know how to do this. Maybe this is the wrong plan. Maybe he would be better off with her hiring someone for him. But then she thinks about what the officer said. No one else has come for him; no one else is going to care if he gets the death penalty. And true, Pennsylvania hasn't executed anyone since 1999 but he's being accused of killing an ADA; she doesn't want to take her chances. She can't lose him, not like that.

She takes a breath and pulls out a notebook from her purse to place in front of her on the table, stalling, and probably not instilling him with a lot of confidence about her abilities. She takes a deep breath, and finally, looks back up at him. This time his eyes are softer, and it puts her at ease.

He speaks first, his voice soft, but she can also hear his reticence. "Why are you here, Laurel? You shouldn't be here."

She shakes her head and finally speaks, feeling a little more confident. "You shouldn't be here either. What happened, Frank? Why _are_ you here?" She gestures to the room, the police station they're in.

"Annalise will fix this," he says quietly, and she can tell that he doesn't believe the words but wants her to leave and thinks that it will work. It hurts but she's not going to be dissuaded by this. She's his best chance, and she believes that. This may be her very first act as a lawyer but that doesn't mean she can't do this. She has the skills, has learned from the best, including Annalise, and she just has to put everything she's learned to use.

She decides to use what she knows from talking to Bonnie the night before, decides to call his bluff. "So, Annalise is going to be your lawyer?" she asks, knowing in her tone. "Then where is she, Frank? If she's going to fix this for you, shouldn't she be here?"

"Maybe not Annalise but she'll send someone to help," he says, using his next excuse. She doesn't understand why he's fighting this, lying to her about the situation. It reminds her of two years ago when she had to push him to tell her anything, to get the truth out of him.

"She's not going to send anyone," Laurel responds bluntly, "And you and I both know that."

She sees him deflate then, and so, she continues to push forward.

"She put you here, Frank. She did this, and you know that. I don't know why she's throwing you under the bus but she's not going to help you, and Bonnie can't go against her," she tells him, keeping eye contact. "I'm your best chance here, Frank. Please, let me help you."

"Why bother? You know what I've done," he says, referencing Lila. "And I did kidnap Catherine, tamper with the evidence. They aren't wrong. Maybe it's all catching up with me. Maybe this is where I belong."

Laurel shakes her head, and without thinking, reaches across the table where his handcuffed hands rest and takes one in hers. Despite the situation, she feels that familiar spark, one she hasn't felt since being with him. _God_ , she still loves him. She knew that already but with him in front of her, having this contact with him, it all floods back. She's never stopped, not even a little. And she thinks that, if anything, her love for him has only grown.

"No," she starts, "The entire time I was driving up here I replayed that night over and over, every action and every piece of it. You were not responsible for it, Frank. That night should not be pinned on you. Asher killed Sinclair. The rest of it was Annalise. Everything we did that night was for her. She was…" Laurel trails off, thinking about how crazy Annalise was that night, how desperate. "You don't belong here. You don't. Others might think so, if they knew about… but I know you. I know why it happened. And I know that's not you."

He looks down at their joined hands before slowly pulling his away from Laurel's, resting them in his lap. Laurel pulls her hand back, trying not to show how much his action hurts her. She gets it; she does.

"But how do you expect to do this, Laurel? What defense is there without bringing everyone else down? Without this coming back on you." She hears the worry in his voice.

She shakes her head and taking a deep breath, removing her emotions from the equation. She needs to think about this strategically. She needs to think about this as a lawyer, take all of her studies and training and formulate a plan. Once she starts thinking about the picture as a whole, she starts to see what's in front of her more clearly.

"The DA is running for Attorney General this fall, right?" she asks, remembering something she read the night before.

"Yeah, I think so. What does that have to do with anything?" he asks, confusion clear in his voice.

"This isn't about you," she realizes then. "The reopening of the case, whatever Annalise said that made him come after you? This isn't his final move," she says.

Frank doesn't say anything, just stays silent knowing that she needs to finish her thoughts.

"The DA is not looking to take you down here; no offense, but you're not a big enough fish, and if he's looking to become the State Attorney General, arresting you is not going to get him there."

"So what will?" he asks, trying to understand where she's going with this.

"Taking down a corrupt lawyer, one who has been at the center of several controversial cases, who has defended and gotten off some of the most notorious, high-profile defendants. If he can take her down, his name will be everywhere, Frank. He'll have the election sewn up."

The more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense. There's no way the evidence can lead to Frank. The murder of Sinclair and shooting Annalise, he wasn't anywhere near them. They can't have the evidence for those charges.

"The DA is using whatever Annalise gave him to turn you against her. He's arrested you based on whatever she said. He wants you to turn on her," Laurel says, leaning in against the table. "And if I'm wrong and that's not it, it's still an angle we can use. Because he does want to win. We can dangle that, show him how going after her benefits everyone in the long run."

Frank takes it all in, and she can see that he's made the same connection. She's not completely wrong here. But after a moment, he shakes his head. "I can't… I can't go against her, Laurel."

Laurel sighs, disappointed that she has to push him to see what's right in front of them, that he's still so beholden to this woman.

"You can, Frank," she argues back. "This is your chance to get out, finally. This is your chance to help Bonnie get out. I get that you feel this loyalty to her because of what happened but she put you here. She's willing to see you hang for this. She doesn't have any loyalty to you. Why does she deserve yours?"

She can see in his eyes when he's accepted that it's his only choice if he wants to get out of jail.

"Please, Frank," she whispers. "Let me be your lawyer. I can do this. Let me help you."

He shakes his head slightly, though there's a small smile on his face. "I have no doubts that you can do this, Laurel, but you can't. You live in DC. You're not admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania. Unless you took the bar here but that wouldn't have made sense… You weren't supposed to come back," he reminds her, though his tone is soft, and it gives her hope.

"You're right," she admits. "I passed the bar in DC but there is a way I can represent you here. I have a couple of things I'd have to do, and I'll need to get the judge to agree, but I _can_ do all that. Please, just tell me that you'll let me?" she asks.

She hears a knock then, and realizes that their time is up. "Please," she asks again.

The door opens, and Frank nods as he stands. "Okay," he says softly, the officer entering. "If you think you can do it, okay."

She nods. "We'll talk soon," she promises him before he is led out of the room.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

After she leaves the station, Laurel runs through the list of everything she needs to do. She's in over her head, that much is clear, but that doesn't mean she can't do this. Annalise used to say that Laurel has what it takes to be her one day. And if that's true, she's going to be able to get through this. She doesn't see a choice. She needs Frank to be okay. He did whatever he had to in order to help her get out of Philly and away from Annalise. It's her turn to return the favor.

She checks herself into a hotel and calls Bonnie. She doesn't say much, just gives the address and room number before hanging up, hoping Bonnie will understand.

While she waits, she gets to work. She takes out her computer and starts on her research for the _pro hac vice_ admission, as well as finding out everything she can about the District Attorney and his political ambitions. She'll need to use that. After a couple of hours, she hears a knock at the door and breathes a sigh of relief.

When she opens the door, Bonnie is on the other side. "I wasn't going to come here," the shorter blonde says as she walks into the room. "But then I figured you wouldn't be here unless it was for Frank, and I know we both want the same thing."

Laurel nods, giving Bonnie an understanding smile. Before she starts in on her plan though, there's one thing she needs to know. "What happened, Bonnie? Why did Annalise put him there?"

Bonnie sighs and sits on the edge of Laurel's bed. Following suit, Laurel sits in the chair near her, waiting for the other woman to answer.

"They've been fighting a lot," Bonnie starts. "Annalise blamed him for letting you leave, for not being able to find you. She's not stupid, Laurel. She knows that he helped you. But as we got further and further from Catherine's conviction, she slowly stopped caring about where you were and moved on. She still blamed him though. And it put some distance between them. She didn't trust him as much, the insults came faster…"

"So, that's why she did it? Because he helped me two years ago?" Laurel asks, finding that logic hard to follow.

"No," Bonnie shakes her head, "It's just the start. When the case got reopened and the DA started sniffing around, Annalise started getting desperate. I'm sure you remember what that's like. She started getting worked up, more and more destructive. And Frank called her on it. Told her if they got caught it would be on her unless she got it together… I'm sure you can imagine how much she didn't like being called out by him. She started yelling at him, telling him how she knew about Lila, how he could never do anything right, and, if he didn't fall in line, she would use it all."

Bonnie pauses and sighs, and Laurel starts to fill with dread, anticipating what's about to come next.

"The fight was a blow out, really. Worse than anything I've seen between them, even when Frank came back empty handed after 'searching' for you," she explains, using finger-quotes as she says searching. "I wasn't in the room just trying to listen from outside the door so I couldn't hear everything, but all of a sudden, Annalise was marching out of the room, and he was following after her, desperately trying to stop her. And he just… started admitting everything to get her to stop… how he killed Lila for Sam, how it was Sam who made him, that Sam spent ten years holding their baby's death over him, how he planted a bug in Ohio, and was the reason she was hit."

"Oh god," Laurel says, feeling her breath leave her.

"Yeah," Bonnie nods her head, "it just… came out. And that was that. I've never seen her like that before as she told him to go, never come back. I wanted to go after him but… She stopped me, told me that Rebecca's body could suddenly turn up if I even thought about helping him or trying to fix things. And Frank… When I went to him later, he was upset and told me I needed to do whatever Annalise wanted, that it was the only way to protect myself."

Bonnie shrugs, as if she didn't know what she was supposed to do. "So, that's what I did and, then a week later, he's getting arrested. And Annalise is telling me that if I go against her story, it's all going to come out, what Asher did, what I did… that I would be where Frank is too. I didn't know what to do."

Laurel nods and takes a breath. "You've done the right thing. Frank would never forgive himself if you got arrested too," Laurel comforts, knowing it to be true. "But I think I know what we can do to help him now. It's not going to be easy to keep from Annalise, but it's our only chance to get him out," Laurel starts, preparing to explain her plan.

"You want me to vouch for you, to sponsor you as his lawyer on this case," Bonnie says, smart enough to know that it's Laurel's only move if she wants to help Frank.

Laurel nods. "I don't know another lawyer here, and it's the only way to represent him on a _pro hac vice_ basis. It's a risk though. I don't even know if the judge will agree in such a high-profile case, especially when you're not going to be actively involved, and if Annalise finds out that you're helping in any way…"

"I can handle Annalise," Bonnie interrupts, and Laurel can hear a rare confidence enter her voice, resolved to do what she can. "And this is the only way to help Frank. He can't go down for this Laurel."

Laurel shakes her head, looking Bonnie in the eye. "I won't let him."

* * *

 _Let me know what you think! And thank you so much for reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you so much for all of your reviews and favorites! They are truly appreciated it. I'm sorry for the delay on this one; real life has gotten in the way more than I would like._

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

"Are you okay?" Laurel asks, three days later, as Frank sits across from her in the small room. He's in an actual jail now, and she can see in the dark circles starting to settle under his eyes that this situation is already taking its toll.

He doesn't answer her, instead just asks a question of his own. "So, you were able to figure it out?" His voice is softer than she expected, though still a bit rough. She thinks she hears a note of desperation too as if he's figured out that she's his only hope. If she's being honest, it's a lot of pressure.

She wasn't able to be in the courtroom with him that first day, when the DA asked for remand, for Frank to be kept in jail through the trial. The judge agreed easily, not wanting to take the chance of this suspect disappearing, skipping out on his bail. Laurel doesn't think that she would have been able to do anything about that even if she had been there.

So, instead, she and Bonnie spent that entire day getting the motion for her admission together. Bonnie had to submit herself as the attorney of record, something that worries Laurel. If Annalise finds out, and it wouldn't be that hard, then this could come back on Bonnie. She knows Frank will never forgive her if that happens but Bonnie didn't want to back down. She admires that loyalty and that fact that Bonnie's loyalty is to Frank. She's not someone you want against you. She's spent too long learning from Annalise.

The process is actually easier than expected. Bonnie wrote the requisite statement sponsoring Laurel, they filled out the online form, paid the fee, and then spent the afternoon calling everyone they could think of to help rush the review. They got a meeting with the judge on Frank's case the next day. After a quick hearing and a little fudging of Bonnie's actual role, Laurel was granted approval to represent Frank. She hates keeping Bonnie's involvement from Frank but she also knows that he's well aware of what probably had to be done. It's better if it just remains unsaid.

"Yeah, it's all set," she tells him simply, letting him dodge her original question for the time being; it's clear he doesn't want to talk about these last few days. Still, she feels like she owes him something. "I'm sorry you got stuck with the public defender for the plea hearing. It took some time to get the admission processed."

Frank shrugs and shakes his head; though, she sees the small smirk on his face. "It wouldn't have made a difference, Laurel, even if you are far prettier than the DA."

So, he's able to flirt, at least. That means he's not yet completely broken by this situation. Maybe he has some faith in her, hasn't lost complete hope.

When she doesn't say anything, Frank continues for her. "So, what's the game plan?" he asks.

"I, uh, have a meeting with the DA this afternoon," she tells him, her hands fidgeting slightly. "See what he's offering. I'm going to try and get him to admit what he's really after," she promises. "I don't want to play games, and I'm sure he doesn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary; the election is right around the corner... And then I was able to talk them into letting me schedule another meeting here with you after that so that we can talk through what's next. Hopefully, I'll have something good to report."

Her being here now isn't really necessary, if she's being honest, but she needed to check up on him, see for herself that he's surviving in this place. She wants him to know that she's on his case, that he's not alone.

"Laurel," Franks starts, trepidation in his tone, "if you don't, it's okay."

Her brow furrows in confusion and she shakes her head. "I don't—"

Before she can tell him she doesn't understand, he's speaking again, "If it doesn't work. If at the end of this, I'm in jail, I don't want you blaming yourself, thinking you didn't do enough, weren't good enough. You and I both know that this is a longshot. And it's a long time coming."

She thinks from his words that her nervousness must be really starting to show. She's inexperienced, doesn't really know how to do this on her own. And she is all on her own; there's no one to guide and advise her. She's not even going to be able to go to Bonnie. And this may actually be the biggest case of her life, even though her career has just begun. The stakes will never be higher for her on a personal level. She doesn't have the option to fail. And she doesn't like that he seems to have already given up, that he doesn't think she is truly up to the task. She takes that in before taking a breath and pushing the uncertainty away. He needs to see that she can handle this because, at the end of the day, she will.

"Frank, please stop thinking like that. We have a lot of cards to play," she says, honestly, as she leans forward on the table. "If today doesn't go the way we want, that doesn't mean we're just giving up. There is a lot I can do. I'm ready for this," she tells him, believing it for the first time. "I know what I'm doing. And I'm ready for a fight if it comes to that." She's not going to stop until he's out.

He just looks at her for several moments, searching her eyes for something. He must find it because a small smile appears on his face. It's a welcomed sight. She returns it, feeling a surge of confidence just from this interaction. He's always been behind her. He chose her for the Keating Five, he supported her so much throughout that year, and now she can prove that he was right to do so.

He reaches his hand across the table, and she takes it in hers without hesitation. There's that spark again.

"You are ready for this," he says, nodding, his hand squeezing hers for assurance. "I'm just saying… if it doesn't work out, please don't blame yourself, okay? Short of Annalise, you're the only person that I think has a chance here. I'm not doubting you."

His voice is sincere, and she almost has to laugh at how he's trying to comfort her when he's the one on trial.

"Are you okay, Frank?" she asks, coming back to her first question. She needs to know, needs him to talk to her. He pulls his hand away then and leans back but doesn't break eye contact.

"It's prison," he tells her as if that's an answer.

"Frank…"

"No, I'm just saying. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel," he argues.

She doesn't respond, instead just looks at him until he sighs and looks down at his hands. "I just… I can't believe she actually did this to me," he admits softly.

Frank would do anything for Annalise, and she knows that better than most. He killed for Sam, in order to protect Annalise, to try to make up for what happened all those years ago. He's broken so many laws for Annalise. He's kidnapped and drugged and tampered with evidence, and who knows what he's done since she left. Laurel's sure that his helping her get out only left him feeling like he had to make it up even more to Annalise. And for all of that to be brushed aside, for Annalise to have put him here because of her anger at what happened all those years ago, it's a betrayal… Laurel can only imagine how she would have felt if Frank had told Annalise where she was, had turned on her.

"I don't even know how I got here," he continues, "Believe it or not, it was not my dream to be a career criminal, to… I was a lot like you. I wanted to help, do good somehow, better myself and my life. It went downhill so fast."

She gives him a small, sad smile. She can see that, and it reminds her of early on when she was so preoccupied with one of their cases. He had asked her why it mattered so much to her. And she told him it was because she wanted to feel like she was doing something good for once. He understood it then. She saw it in his eyes that night, some recognition. Now, she understands what that was.

"It's not too late," she tells him softly, and he scoffs. She tries not to take it personally.

"Will you call my mom?" he asks her, changing the subject. "Tell her you've seen me, and I'm okay?"

"You're not okay," she challenges, needing him to admit it. He doesn't try to avoid the statement this time.

"Yeah, but she doesn't need to know that," he tells her as there's a knock, signaling their time is almost up. "Please, Laurel."

She nods. "Okay, I'll tell her."

"You know she still asks about you, even though I've told her over and over that we don't talk," he laughs lightly. "You are, by far, the gold standard of girlfriends."

She can't help but laugh at that too, feeling a little relief that this conversation is ending on a lighter note.

The door opens, and they both stand. "Be careful, Frank. Please," she pleads. "I'll see you later."

He nods and gives her a small smile. "Good luck," he tells her before being led from the room.

She watches the empty door for several moments before picking up her bag and heading out. She feels confident. She feels like she can actually do this. She's ready to play in the big leagues.

She has a couple of hours before her meeting, so she heads to the law library at the courthouse to continue her research. The DA promised to let her see the evidence at their meeting but she basically already knows the evidence, so she spends the time reviewing the original case, the evidence involved then, the arguments made. And she familiarizes herself with everything that happened since. It was so important that she had the whole picture; she couldn't leave a stone unturned.

Once she feels like she's ready to go into her meeting, she takes a break. Walking outside, she pulls out her phone and scrolls through her contact list until she finds one she's had in there for years but has never actually used. Frank's mom. She had given Laurel her number during one of Delfino family dinners she attended. Despite the whole thing being thrust on her without warning, she had enjoyed herself that first night with them so much that she went back with Frank every week after. His mom had given her the number just in case "my son is being an idiot." She laughed at the time, and she laughs now at the memory. It was back when everything was a mess but still felt okay because she and Frank were stronger than ever. She had been falling for him, was sure that as messed up as they both were, they were perfect for each other.

She calls and listens as the phone rings and rings and rings until finally the voice mail picks up, his mom's familiar voice coming over the line. She has to hold back the tears at how much she missed it. In some ways, his family had quickly become hers, even if she had only known them a few weeks before everything fell apart.

She takes a breath and tries to sound upbeat. "Mrs. Delfino, hi. It's Laurel… Castillo. I, uh… Frank and I used to date, I don't know if you remember. Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me a call back. Thank you."

She hangs up, shaking her head at how stupid she must have sounded. Frank told her that his mom still asks about her. Of course, she would remember. She doesn't have a lot of time to think about it, though. Gathering her things, she heads back into City Hall and to the DA's office.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

"Well, well, Ms. Castillo. It's been a long time. When I heard that the judge was allowing you to be Delfino's attorney I almost couldn't believe it, and not just because you've never practiced before." District Attorney Todd Denver stands, gesturing to a chair, as Laurel enters his offices. She gives him a polite smile and sits.

"I was surprised to hear you were no longer just an _Assistant_ DA," she throws back with a small shrug, smile still on her face. "I take it you've learned by now that the whole Latino besties trick won't work?"

She can see that her reply surprises him and internally pats herself on the back. She'd be lying if she said she isn't nervous, completely unsure of herself and her plan. But she's also thinking about Frank and how she is his only chance. She has to pretend like she's confident. She has to act like Annalise, show that she won't back down or let his words undermine her plan.

"How are you?" DA Denver asks sitting back down behind his desk, and she has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She needs to think logically, not let her emotions get in the way. She resolves to do just that, ignoring the question and instead getting right into the reason she's there.

"Well, I'm confused," she starts, "wondering why it is that my client is in jail at all."

He smirks at her then. "We both know that your client is far from innocent. And the evidence points to him." He shrugs as if he's just made his entire argument, and she's as sure as ever now that he doesn't have anything.

"Then maybe you'd like to show me what evidence you actually have?" she suggests, knowing that he could easily tell her that she'll have to wait until trial. His response here will be key. If he lets her see the evidence, it's because he's looking for a deal, hoping to entice her.

"As you know, I don't have to show you anything. You'll get it all in discovery, but this being your first case, I thought I'd give you a peek at how just how much you're in over your head."

She frowns at his condescension but ignores it. She's used to it. Many professors treated her the same way, as did bosses at her internships and associateships. Instead, she silently takes the thick file folder he's holding out to her.

She continues to sit in silence, letting him wait, as she takes her time thumbing through the "evidence" he's put in front of her. There's a statement from Catherine claiming that she remembers Frank grabbing her, drugging her. But that's the most damning and easily argued. The other papers are conjecture and anonymous tips that point to Frank. She has no doubt those "tips" came from Annalise. They wouldn't hold up in court either. There's no hard evidence as far as she can see, and it's spotty. She doesn't see a case here.

"What actual evidence do you have against Frank that connects him to Sinclair's murder?" she asks finally, looking up at him as she closes the folder and tosses it back onto his desk. "I don't see anything here. And what about Annalise's shooting? There's nothing on that. Care to explain the basis for those charges?"

"You'll find that all out during discovery," the DA tells her with a shrug as if he's already done her a favor.

Laurel just smirks and leans forward, acting as though she has the upper hand. "See, I don't think you actually have anything to connect him to either event. I don't think murder charges will hold up in court. And I think you know that already. So, you're going to have to try a little harder."

He ignores her assertions, moving on as if he's trying for another angle. "What about the kidnapping of Catherine? The tampering with evidence? You can see what we have in the file."

Laurel nods, acknowledges that she saw it. "Okay, but see, you've confused me again. Catherine named Philip in court as the person who kidnapped her. So, now, you have the statement of an unreliable witness, one who has made several statements _under oath_ to the contrary and who stands to benefit the most by pointing the finger at someone else," she notes. "And besides, which one is it? Did Frank kidnap Catherine? Or did he shoot Annalise? Or did he kill Emily Sinclair? How can you possibly charge him for everything, given the timeline of events?"

She watches as he pretends to think about what she's just said, pretends he hasn't been expecting it. "That's a good question, Ms. Castillo," Denver says, leaning forward on his desk, and Laurel realizes she no longer has the upper hand. "As I recall, you were there that night. Perhaps you'd like to share what you know, what actually happened. The truth this time."

Laurel looks at him blankly, refusing to be rattled by his words. "I don't know what you're talking about." She shakes her head. "I told the truth two years ago; I stand by that."

"Right, you and your friends told the exact same, rehearsed story," he comments, a small smile playing at his lips as if he's found his prey. "Maybe you'd like to be charged too. Obstruction of justice. Accomplice to a murder. Covering up the scene of a crime. Can't really help Frank if you're behind bars, can you?"

Laurel freezes, forcing herself to take a deep breath. She can't show any fear at the threat because the DA will see it and pounce. She quickly thinks through the situation and puts on a smile.

Shaking her head, Laurel, remembers the plan and realizes that these threats are just as empty as the evidence against Frank. She lets out what's, thankfully, a natural-sounding laugh. "Which is it? Did Frank do everything that night or are you now saying it was me?"

She leans forward with her arm resting on the desk and gives him a knowing look, ready to regain the upper hand. She had seen Annalise in this same position so many times; she always won. "You want to know what I think?" she asks rhetorically, continuing on without pause, "I think if I go to the judge right now and motion for him to dismiss this case for lack of evidence, he will. And that wouldn't be good for your political ambitions, would it? The citizens of Pennsylvania aren't going to elect an attorney general who has bungled such an important, high-profile case."

He doesn't say anything but his face gives it all away. She's hit the nail on the head.

She leans back in the chair and crosses her arms, a smirk on her face. "You're grasping at straws because you want something else, _someone_ else. How about you tell me who that is, and I'll see how Frank might be able to help you get what you actually want."

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

"You're back?" the female officer at reception asks when Laurel arrives at the jail to check back in with Frank.

She gives a confused look but nods. "Yes, I made a second appointment for my client yesterday. I was told it wouldn't be a problem."

"No, no, it's not. I just thought you sent someone else in your place earlier. It's a bit unusual for our prisoners to be visited three times in one day."

That confuses Laurel even more. Who else would have visited?

"He had another visitor?" she confirms.

"Yeah, about an hour ago. Annalise Keating," the woman tells Laurel as if she should already know. When she sees her confusion grow, she continues, "If you didn't know she was coming, then she must be checking up on your work. You a new associate of hers?"

"Um, not exactly," Laurel answers, taking a deep breath and trying to stem the fear that's welling inside her. "I can still see Frank, right?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll take you back to the room. We'll bring him in," the officer says, gesturing for her to go around through the security. She walks her back to the same room from this morning before telling another officer to get the prisoner.

Laurel can't bring herself to sit down and starts pacing once the door closes. This isn't good. She did it, has everything they need to get him out of here, to make it right, but if Annalise was here… if she got to Frank…

The door opening interrupts her thoughts and she stops, looking to Frank as he's brought into the room. One look at him and her fear is confirmed. The air between them has certainly changed. Gone is the light note they ended on earlier, and it's been replaced with a stiff posture and no eye contact.

She takes a breath and once the door shuts, walks over to the table and pulls out the chair.

"There's no point in sitting," he says, his tone hard and devoid of any emotion. "You're no longer my lawyer. I'm going with the public defender, and you should go back to DC."

He doesn't look at her once, and she feels herself growing angry. If he's going to do this to her, he could at least have to courtesy of looking her in the eye. She tries to keep that anger out of her voice when she speaks, and it's easier to do than she thought it would be because the fear she's feeling takes over.

"Frank, don't do this. I don't know what Annalise said to you but it doesn't matter because this is over," she steps around the table. "The DA and I have a deal. The three of us have an appointment with him tomorrow to talk it all through, to discuss your testimony and _immunity_ ," she says, her voice desperate for him to listen to her. She takes a step towards him, hoping to touch him, establish some sort of contact, but he just moves away, backing up towards the door.

His voice is firm as he responds, eyes continuing to inspect the floor in front of him. "We don't have an appointment because you're not my lawyer. I've already asked for the public defender; he'll be here next week. I'll see what kind of deal he can get me if I plead guilty."

"No. No, no, no, Frank. You can't do this. Please, listen to me." She moves closer to him, bends her knees so that she can try meet his eyes. It doesn't help; it's almost as if he knows that he won't be able to go through with this if he looks at her. "I don't know what she said to you but you can't give up like this. I've talked it out with the DA. You don't have to plead guilty. We do what we talked about, and you can walk out of here as soon as the trial is over. She can't hurt me, Frank, if we do this. Don't let her have this control over you," she begs, desperate for him to listen, knowing Annalise's words must have been about her, or possibly Bonnie. Frank has nothing else to lose but he wouldn't want Annalise coming after either of them.

She tries to crouch down even more to force eye contact but he just looks to the side, refusing to give in, and she sighs. It's almost as if he's blocking her words, blocking her. He's made his decision, and he won't hear anything else. It terrifies her because clearly Annalise really got to him, and Laurel doesn't know what she'll do if they don't talk to the DA. Frank's reaction to her is a complete one-eighty from that morning, and it's killing her because she doesn't know how to compete with Annalise. Annalise has fourteen years' experience at manipulating Frank.

He doesn't respond, doesn't say anything else. And when she stops talking, he bangs on the door, signaling he's done. It opens a few seconds later, and he tells the officer that he's ready to go but he does pause before allowing himself to be led away. He looks up at her then, his eyes betraying his hard, emotionless exterior.

"I'm not gonna let this come back on you."

He turns then and leads the officer back towards his cell. She can't move for several moments, and instead feels the tears well in her eyes. Of course, she got to him. It's easy to threaten someone who's been so loyal. Annalise knew exactly what would happened if she told Frank that Laurel herself would become a target, if he went down this path. Annalise knew that he would never let that happen.

After pulling herself together, Laurel leaves the station and dials Bonnie's number as soon as she gets her phone back from security. The call goes unanswered, just ringing and ringing before the voice mail connects. She hangs up. Has Annalise gotten to her too? She must have found out by now that Bonnie's helping.

She walks back to her car and gets behind the wheel but before she can break down crying, her phone rings. Hope spreads through her that it's Bonnie calling back. She doesn't even look as she answers with a desperate hello.

"Laurel?" That's not Bonnie.

"Mrs. Delfino, hi," she says, forcing her voice to sound more even.

"I'm sorry I missed your call earlier, dear. I must say, I'm surprised to have gotten your call at all."

Laurel takes a breath and tries to put on a smile so that maybe she can sound optimistic. "Yes, it's been a long time, but uh, Frank… he asked me to call, to let you know that he's okay."

"You're helping Frankie?" his mom asks, hope seeping from her voice, and Laurel's eyes close trying to stem a new round of tears. "He hasn't called, and I didn't know what to do. He didn't do those awful things they're accusing him of, I know he didn't."

Laurel tries to push aside the last 15 minutes and remember what Frank needed from her earlier that day. She needs to make his mom think that everything is going to be okay, that Frank is okay even though it's clear now that he's nowhere near okay.

"I know he didn't, Mrs. Delfino. That's why I had to come back to help him. We're going to figure this out, get him out of this." She's vague about who "we" is, hoping it will make her sound more confident, but really, she shouldn't be making promises she doesn't think she's able to keep.

Laurel can practically feel his mom's relief through the phone. "Oh, that's good. That's so good. He's been a mess these past two years without you."

"Mrs. Delfino, you should know that this isn't going to be easy. There're a lot of obstacles. There's a good chance that it might not go the way we want," she says, trying to mitigate the hope she's given.

"Just promise me you won't give up on him, okay?" his mom pleads. "He's always talking about how you were off getting your law degree, how you're going to be an amazing lawyer, do a lot of good."

"He said that?" Laurel asks softly.

"I've never seen my son believe in someone so much," his mom responds. "Frankie needs you more than he's willing to admit."

With those words, Laurel knows that she can't give up. She told Frank she was going to fight if it came to that. And that's where they are. She needs to fight for him, no matter how much he says he doesn't want it. She needs to believe in him too.

"I'm not going to let him down," she promises. "I'll let you know when there's news," she tells his mom before they end the call. She lets out a shaky breath, attempting to let go of the fear, the worries, of Frank's words. She's not going to figure this out if she's too emotional. She has to think clearly, logically. She can do this; she can figure it out. She won't give up.

If Annalise wants to play hardball, Laurel's ready.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

By the time Laurel gets back to the hotel, it's after six. She knows that the DA has probably already left for the day and that's confirmed with a quick call. Their meeting is supposed to be first thing the next morning; she wanted to get it all settled, get Frank out as soon as possible. Now, though, she's going to have to show up without her bargaining chip and ask for more time. Hopefully, she has some leverage but she doesn't know how she's going to be able to convince him that she'll get back on Frank's case. She's not sure of that herself.

She orders some room service and changes into more comfortable clothing, trying to unwind from the downward spiral in which the last few hours have put her. Talking to Frank's mom helped a little, helped give her the motivation to keep going, not give up, even though it feels like she's climbing a mountain.

Sighing audibly, she falls back against the bed, laying there without doing much else. When she closes her eyes, she sees Frank's eyes, hears his voice. He's not in a jail though. They're on his couch years ago, and he's promising her that he'll do whatever he can to help her. She let him take the lead; she trusted him to do exactly as he said when she left Philly.

He's trying to protect her still, and Frank is nothing if not loyal. Annalise had been right back then. Frank's loyalty shifted to Laurel somewhere along the way. Bonnie said it herself too; everything Frank has done since she left has been to protect her. It's not going to be easy to convince him to let down his guard, to trust that she'll be okay. She runs a hand over her face, feeling weary and frustrated.

There's a knock on the door then, followed by a soft voice announcing "room service." Laurel gets off the bed and makes her way over to the door. The woman on the other side pushes a cart into her room and sets up the food on the small table. Laurel smiles and thanks her with a small tip.

The food smells great, and she realizes she hasn't eaten all day. She's been too consumed. She needs a break from Frank and this case, just a small one to refocus and get caught up on everything that she's neglected this week.

Grabbing her computer and phone, she sits down and begins eating while scrolling through her email. She has a follow-up email from her firm. They want to know about her bar exam, and if they are still on track for her start date. She silently swears; she's almost forgotten all about that. She stops eating to quickly type up a reply, letting them know that she has passed the bar but that she needs a little more time. She tells them she has a family issue out of town before she hits send. She hopes that will be sufficient.

She then turns to her phone and another issue she's been ignoring: Mark. He's not actually an issue, not really, but she's been so busy researching and planning and running around to meet with the DA and Frank that she hasn't been very attentive to his texts. His numerous texts. Each getting more and more agitated. She's tried to keep up with them but has really only given him a few short replies here and there, not providing many details. She can see his frustration is growing but she can't bring herself to be too upset over it. She's been solely focused on Frank, and she's not going to apologize for that. She just hasn't had time or energy for anything else.

She takes a minute, thinking about her words, before typing.

 _Hey, I'm really sorry I've been so MIA… I haven't been trying to ignore you; it's just been busy up here. A lot going on and a lot at stake. I hope you understand._

She hits send before taking a bite of her salad. She's not even finished chewing before she gets a text back.

 _ **When are you coming home?**_

That's it? She knows he's upset but she thought he might want to know about what she's been doing, if she's okay, something.

 _I'm not really sure. This is a little more complicated than I anticipated but I'll keep you updated._

Again, it doesn't take long to get a reply.

 _ **Yeah, okay.**_

Laurel frowns and shakes her head. She not going to feel bad about this. It's something that she needs to do, and if he loves her like he says, Mark should understand that.

Pushing her phone to the side, she turns back to her food but she's lost some of her appetite. Maybe she should have continued focusing on Frank after all. It's better to not complicate things in DC. Complications lead to problems, especially with Mark, and she's spent too long trying to force everything into a perfect version of what she's always wanted for her life. She's been doing everything that she _should_ be doing, and she's been doing it well. Mixing that with Philly is not a good idea, and so she decides to let it go for the day. She can't fix Philly or DC tonight.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

"So, I heard from transport that Delfino refused to come this morning?" DA Denver says as Laurel walks into his office. His lips form a smirk as if he's entertained by all of this. "Something about how you're no longer his lawyer. I guess he's dumber than I thought."

"He's not dumb," Laurel retorts, sitting across from him. "Annalise got to him; he thinks she's going to come after me, and he's trying to protect me. I'll get through to him though… And that's why I'm here. I need to make sure that we'll still have a deal once I fix this."

He looks at her for a long moment, thinking through his response.

"You know, Laurel, I don't have a lot of time here. The citizens are expecting me to move forward with this case. And if Frank won't give me what I need, then that's exactly what I'm going to do." He shrugs as if he's not willing to help her, and why would he be? The election is fast approaching, and all he cares about is what he can tout to the people.

"So, what? That's it? I can't get him here today, so you're taking the deal off the table?" she asks, sighing. She can't be defeated already.

"No, I didn't say that," he tells her with a shake of his head. "I can't give you a lot of time but I will give you a chance to turn this around. We both know that anything Frank has done has been for Annalise Keating. If I can get her, it's better all around. You have until next week, but then there's nothing else I can do for you, Laurel."

It's Friday, so that's not a lot of time, but it's something she can work with. She takes a breath and nods slowly. "Thank you," she says, looking up at him.

"You're welcome," he responds before looking down at a file in front of him, effectively dismissing her. She has to stop the urge to roll her eyes, not bite the hand that's feeding her. Instead, she stands from the chair, grabs her bag, and exits his office. It's really not a lot of time… Maybe if she can just talk to Frank again, get him to see her and actually listen, then she can turn this around.

Once she's in the hallway, she takes a deep breath and thinks about trying Bonnie again. Maybe the blonde will answer this time, offer some guidance. At this point, what can it hurt? She gets out her phone and hits the call button while walking down towards the bathroom. No answer. Again.

She sighs, pushing open the door. Before she can make it far, she hears a familiar voice behind her, one that immediately sets her on edge.

"Well, well, Miss Castillo, it's been a long time," Annalise says, and Laurel forces herself to take a breath as she turns to face her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Everything about Annalise's tone and facial expression tell Laurel that she knew exactly where to find her this morning, is here because of her.

"You didn't?" Laurel throws back. "It's quite a coincidence that we both ended up in the same bathroom then."

Annalise silently shrugs, not too interested in keeping up the ruse. But the dark smile on her face reminds Laurel of how intimidating Annalise can be. "How's DC been treating you?"

That surprises Laurel, and she puts on a confused look. "DC?"

"Do you really think I didn't know where you were? That Frank was so smart to actually trick me?" She asks, her tone almost mocking. "I knew where you were, Miss Castillo, but it was easier to keep Frank in line if he thought that I would go looking for you again. He was always so easy to control."

"What did you say to him yesterday?" She goes straight to the point. Because isn't that the reason Annalise is here? She threatened Frank yesterday, and now she's moving on to Laurel.

Annalise shrugs casually. "We just had a little chat," she says.

"A little chat?" Laurel has to stop herself from laughing. "Must have been some chat. He kicked me out when I went to see him."

"Oh yes, I did hear something about you representing him."

Laurel shakes her head. "That's the only reason you went to see him. You felt threatened that I might be able to get through to him, that Frank might actually try to save himself after _you_ put him there. And for what?"

That doesn't get any sort of reaction; instead, Annalise just continues on as if Laurel didn't say anything at all.

"Frank told me some interesting things yesterday. You know, he was almost able to stand up to me? He was so close but the second I mentioned your name, the second I told him exactly what I remember from that night, I had him exactly where I needed him. He's always been predictable when it comes to you or Bonnie or his family."

"What you remember from that night?" Laurel asks, confused. If she can get Annalise to fill her in, maybe she can use that with Frank.

Annalise looks at her for a moment as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. When she speaks, she puts on an air as if the words are truth, as if she were saying them to the DA, to the jury. "It was you that shot me that night. I had forgotten that detail in the aftermath but these past two years, going over it and over it trying to remember anything I could, it finally came back to me. It was you with me in that room before everything went black. You and Frank were working together trying to frame me. You meant to kill me but you messed up, so you two had to make it look like it was Catherine."

Laurel can feel the tears filling her eyes. Of course, Frank would push her away if he thought Annalise could actually do this. He'd rather go to jail for the rest of his life than jeopardize her.

Being there, in that small bathroom with Annalise, Laurel remembers exactly what it was like to be around this woman when she's desperate. She remembers that night so clearly, still. The way she told Asher what they had all done to Sam, used him against them and them against him; the way she screamed at them all, used their every weakness and fear to try and goad them into shooting her; the way she held everything over them after; she remembers just how easy it was to bend and give up and do exactly what she wanted so that Annalise wouldn't lose everything she worked for years to perfect. Laurel got away; Frank never did.

But she refuses to bend now, to give up and let Frank succumb to the years of manipulation. She refuses to let Annalise have any more control over her.

"Frank is in jail because of you… He's done so many things—committed so many illegal, criminal acts—all for _you_ so that you could win your cases, maintain your reputation," she starts, continuing on before Annalise can protest. "He was young when he started for you. Young and seeking approval. And you made him think he was worthless. I saw it all the time. You beat him down so that you could have a lapdog to do all of your bidding."

Annalise does speak then, her voice lowering just in case someone may be walking past. "You can't say that being a hard boss is any excuse for what he did, for killing my baby, for killing an innocent girl and _her baby_."

"Yes, he messed up all those years ago," Laurel concedes, "He was young and naïve, and he had no idea what they were going to do. He didn't know you were going to get hurt; he never wanted that. And Sam held it over him for ten years, that and everything Sam had done for Frank's family… Can you imagine what that must have been like?" Laurel sighs. "I'm not saying it excuses what he did for Sam; it doesn't. At all. It still makes me sick just thinking about it. And it doesn't excuse him planting the bug. But he didn't _know_ what was going to happen," she reiterates. "I know that he wouldn't have done it if he knew they were going to hurt you."

"He wouldn't have?" Annalise asks, smirking. "I think you underestimate just how much Frank cares about having money. He'll do anything for a paycheck. He doesn't care about anything but that."

Laurel shakes her head knowing it's not true. She sighs. "Frank didn't start out a murderer," she says after a silent moment. "He wanted to better himself, yes, but he also wanted to do good. He didn't start out a murderer," she repeats. "None of us did. And look at everything that happened to the rest of us, after less than a year working for you, after barely knowing Sam." She thinks about her own statement before scoffing lightly. "It's actually impressive that it took Frank _ten years,_ when the rest of us were murdering a man and burning his body after less than five months."

Annalise doesn't say anything and so she continues. "That should tell you something about Frank. It should also tell you something that he was sitting in that jail and still wasn't going to go against you. He's committed all of these crimes for years for _you_ , to _protect you_. And what did you do to thank him for that? You turned on him, put him in jail. The same way you turned on Nate all those years ago. The way you turned on us when you felt threatened… What does that say about you? About the kind of person _you_ are?"

That's when Laurel sees it, a bit of recognition in Annalise's eyes. It leaves almost as quickly as it appears but she seizes on the moment. "Our lives were irreversibly changed that first year of law school. None of us were the same. And, no, that wasn't completely your fault but you used what we did to keep us under your control."

When Annalise speaks again, it's almost as if she hadn't heard a word Laurel said but she's shaken. Laurel can hear the slight tremble in her voice. Something Laurel said got to her, and she holds onto that. She can use it.

"Are you done, Miss Castillo?" Annalise asks, sounding bored. Laurel acquiesces, knowing that nothing else she says will change anything today. Annalise continues, "You may think you have this all figured out, Laurel. You may think you're so smart. But just remember, I hold more cards than you do. And if you continue to try and turn Frank against me, I will use them." Her voice gets low and menacing as she finishes, moving closer to Laurel. "If you know what's good for you, you'll take him firing you as a sign that you should go back to DC, to your boring boyfriend, and to your corporate law firm and be done with Frank once and for all."

With that, she steps back and puts on an innocent air. "It was so nice seeing you again, Laurel."

She smiles and turns to walk out of the bathroom; Laurel doesn't let out a breath until the door closes. She can feel herself shaking and she tries to calm herself, not let the words get to her. It feels good to finally stand up to Annalise, say the things she's been thinking about since everything happened. But it's also true that Annalise has more cards. She's got Sam and Lila's deaths to play if really pushed. And those facts won't just affect her. Lila's death will most certainly get Frank the death penalty or life in prison. And Sam's death? Well, that would affect the others, pull them into this, and put them all in jail. Is that really something she can risk?

Another woman entering the restroom breaks her out of her thoughts. Laurel gives her a silent smile before leaving and making her way out of the building.

Only then does she look down at her phone and see that she got a text from an unknown number. She opens it, frowning at the message inside.

 _You have to stop calling me. There's nothing else I can do to help you without making it worse. –B_

Great. Annalise has definitely gotten to Bonnie too.

She's not sure what to do now. Part of her wants to try and visit Frank again, see if she can get him in the same room for a couple of minutes. But no. If Annalise knew to find her at the courtroom this morning, then there's a chance she's going to be monitoring her. And though she doesn't have long before her deal with the DA falls through, she thinks it might be a good idea to give Frank a day to process everything. She has a lot to think about too; mainly, whether or not it's worth it to potentially destroy everyone else.

* * *

 _Thank you so much for your reviews! Let me know what you think. :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm happy you're enjoying the story._

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Laurel spends the rest of the day in her hotel room, alternating between tears and anger and angry tears. She keeps telling herself, it seems on a daily basis, that she's not going to let the bumps and the discouragement stop her from helping Frank. But it seems like roadblock after roadblock appears. It feels like as soon as she makes any progress, something pops up telling her that she should stop, let Frank go to jail for everything that he _has_ done. That thought doesn't feel right either. But the alternative here could destroy the lives of so many people. Should she sacrifice Frank to protect the rest of them?

That thought hurts the most, and no, she can't do that to Frank. She tells herself it's because of everything he did for her. It's more than that; of course, it is. She can't allow herself to admit it, to analyze those thoughts, not when so many things can and are going wrong.

When she wakes up the next day, she knows she has to stop doubting herself and the reason that she's here. She can't let Annalise intimidate her. That's exactly what the woman wants, and if Laurel gives in, she'll be playing directly into her plans. Frank deserves better than that. He's given her so much, despite what Annalise could do to him, and she needs to give just as much back.

After getting ready for the day, Laurel makes her way to the jail for morning visiting hours. They won't let her make an appointment now that Frank has removed her as his attorney. And she wasn't sure how that little complication would affect her _pro hac vice_ motion. When she had gotten a call that morning from the courthouse, she explained that it was just a misunderstanding and she's fixing it. Luckily the woman on the other end of the line was feeling generous—or maybe could just hear Laurel's desperation—and agreed not to invalidate it just yet. She knows that she's not going to be given a long reprieve.

It's the same woman from before when she enters the jail, and Laurel gives her a friendly smile, asking if it would be possible to visit with Frank as a friend and not an attorney. The officer contemplates that but eventually agrees. Laurel goes through security and is brought back to a public room, given a small cubicle, and told to wait. She looks at the people around her as she walks over. Visiting families talking on phones to the prisoners on the other side of the plexiglass. And she hates it. She hates that Frank is in this place.

She sits at the open cubicle towards the center and waits, thinking about what she's going to say to Frank. She's not going to have long but even more, he's not going to give her a lot of time. She's sure he'll continue to try and block her out, so her first few words need to make her point and quick.

It takes longer than she expected, and her eyes remain on the door he'll come through. Her thoughts start to stray to what it must be like for him in here. She doesn't know much beyond what she sees on TV and what she's learned in class, but she knows that jail conditions are not good and inmate relations are even worse. Frank can take care of himself, she's sure of that, but the thought of him being around hardened criminals and murderers worries her.

"Ms. Castillo?" she hears from behind her and turns to see a male officer motioning for her.

She's confused but gets up and walks towards him. "Is something wrong, officer?" she asks.

"The inmate doesn't want to see you," he tells her, unconcerned with sparing her feelings. "I'll need to escort you out."

She doesn't say anything, just takes a deep breath and nods, following him back towards the entrance where she can collect her things. The woman at reception gives her a sympathetic smile. Laurel just nods a goodbye and leaves the building, getting in her car to start her drive back to the hotel.

What is she going to do now? She should have expected it, that Frank would refuse after their meeting before, but she didn't. She hoped that he would have had time to think through his earlier decision, weigh her words, and realize that she still has something to offer him. She knows Annalise better than that, though. If Annalise almost made her give up, she can only imagine how much more effective those threats would be on Frank.

Maybe she can use his family. Maybe call his mom and let her know what's going on, get her to visit, and talk him into seeing Laurel. It could work. He'd do anything for his mom. She pulls over then, parking along the street by a park. She gets out and walks around, her phone in hand as she weighs this move. It's a last resort. She doesn't have the time to waste here. She has to get into see him, get through to him before their offer expires.

She's almost about to dial the number when she stops. This isn't what Frank wants. He asked her to tell his mom that he was okay. _She doesn't need to know_ , he said. He'd hold it against her if she makes his mom worry even more about him, think that he might not get out of prison and actually be okay.

She'll have to go another direction.

But Bonnie isn't an option either; her text was very clear, and Laurel doesn't want her to get in even more trouble. It would tip off Annalise too; let her know that Laurel isn't actually giving up and going back to DC.

The sound of her phone ringing brings her out of her thoughts. She sighs when she sees the display.

"Hello," she answers, walking towards a bench to sit.

"Hello? That's all you're going to say." So, he's still angry.

"Mark," she starts softly. "I don't know what you're expecting from me. I told you that a friend needed my help. This is something that I need to do."

"I get that this is something you need to do," he spits back, and she flinches as the response. "I didn't think that would mean you'd just fall off the planet. I thought we'd still talk, that you'd at least respond to my texts. I am your boyfriend last time I checked."

She doesn't quite understand why this is making him so upset. Sure, they've been pretty serious, despite her inability to tell him she loves him… and, yeah, if it were her in his position, she'd probably be upset too.

"I'm sorry," she says, actually meaning it. "I didn't mean to cut you off. It's just… Mark, my friend is in jail for something they didn't do, and I'm trying to help but it's really complicated and it's not going well. It's just been a lot. I'm sorry. I should have contacted you, you're right."

There's silence on his end, longer than she'd like, but after a moment, she hears his sigh. "I've just been worried. And I've missed you. I see you every day, and then you go up to Philly and nothing."

"I know. I'll do better," she tells him. She'll try, sure, but her focus has to be on the task in front of her.

"How are you?" he asks, and his voice is now filled with care and love. She smiles at the familiarity of it.

"I'm tired," she says honestly.

"This friend is really important to you," he replies. The understanding in his voice makes her feel better. Maybe talking to her is all he needed to feel better too.

"Yes, and it's really hard. There are a lot of obstacles, and there's not a lot I feel like I can do." She doesn't mean to sound so defeated.

"It's not like you to give up," he tells her, and he's right.

"I'm not giving up," she says. "It's just— it's taking longer than I anticipated for it to come together. But this is something I need to do, so I can't give up. I don't want to."

"Well, give a guy a call once in a while, okay?" His tone is joking but she can hear something just under the surface—frustration or anger, maybe a little of both.

"I will," she says, pausing before adding quickly, "I love you." She still doesn't feel it but she had told herself before all of this that she was going to throw herself into this relationship full force. She doesn't want him to be angry and frustrated with her, and so maybe one day, the words will be true.

They feel wrong now though, like she can't stomach them.

He doesn't seem to notice that part, and instead, she hears a wide smile in his voice as he responds. "I love you too, Laurel."

"I'll text you later, okay?" she says, suddenly needing to get off the phone as quickly as she can.

"Okay. Talk to you later."

She hangs up and sighs, running a hand over her face. It's too much right now and not what she needs. It's harder to keep up the ruse when she's not actually in DC and with him. Now is not the time to deal with this.

Pushing it aside, her thoughts easily turn back to Frank and the situation at hand. She can't call his mom, can't call Bonnie, and so all she can really do is just not give up. She'll keep visiting, every day, until he gets so annoyed he'll finally meet with her. It might be only to tell her to stop but it will give her a chance to say something to him at least.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

She goes back to the jail the next day and the day after that and the day after that and so on. Each day, they take her back to the small room with the other family members and inmates, and she sits and waits for several minutes before she's ultimately called out of the room and told the prisoner refuses to see her. Each day she leaves dejected and frustrated and upset. She just needs to see him now. She needs to see that he's okay, that he's surviving in that place.

She doesn't have too much to do after he turns her away but she doesn't contact Mark. She ignores his texts, doesn't give him the time she promised she would. She can't. It doesn't feel right to talk to him when she can't give him her full attention, when she doesn't want to.

And her law firm grows impatient, asking her to give an exact date for when she can start. She was supposed to start this week, and really, she doesn't know when she'll be back in DC. She has to see this through. Not knowing what to tell them, she ignores the email, hoping to buy herself a little more time.

Her mind is on Frank twenty-four-seven. She goes to the law library all day and looks through stacks of books and cases. She's trying to find some sort of precedent, something that she can use to maybe force Frank to take her as his representation. She doesn't have luck.

Wednesday afternoon, she gets a call. It's the DA. He asks her to come to his office and she agrees, though the pit of her stomach fills with dread. She packs up and makes her way over.

"Laurel," he greets, his tone actually friendly as he gestures to a chair. "Take a seat."

She does so, trying to steady her breathing.

"What's taking so long, Laurel?" he asks, and while his tone offers some support, she can also hear that he's losing patience.

"I just need a little more time. You don't know how Annalise can be, and she's had years to learn how to get to Frank," she explains. "I'm working on it… I thought I had until the end of the week," she reminds him.

"You do," he agrees with a nod, then sighs. "Have you even talked to him though since he changed lawyers?"

Laurel pauses but she knows her expression gives the answer away. She can't lie about this.

"No," she says softly, "but I haven't given up."

"I get that you want to help him. And I'm not blind to the fact that there are a lot of extenuating circumstances in his involvement, and in this situation, but I really can't wait forever. I've been contacted by his public defender; he wanting to set up a meeting," he discloses.

Laurel feels her heart sink. If the public defender gets a deal and brings it to Frank, Frank will take it, and then she'll lose any chance. She's about to protest but Denver cuts her off.

"I've pushed it off," he tells her, anticipating her response. "I told him I'll meet with him on Monday."

"Why would you do that?" she asks, unsure why it seems like Denver is trying to help her now.

"Because you've been right from the beginning Laurel. Frank is not who I want. But I can't wait forever here. So, you have until Friday, and then I will move forward with this case." His voice hardens, and his tone shifts, and she knows that it's the extent of his help and understanding. "If you can't get him here by Friday, ready to turn on Annalise, then the deal is off the table. I'm not going to offer him something better with the public defender; I'm not going to be inclined to offer him anything at all. If he's not here by Friday, I will go after him and everything he has done with the full force of this office behind me."

Laurel knows that he means it. Taking Frank down is better than nothing for him, and she knows that she can't keep going with her current plan. She has to make something happen.

After leaving Denver, she drives back to the jail on a mission. When she walks in, she's happy to see the familiar woman behind the reception desk.

"Honey," the officer starts wearily when she sees Laurel. "I know you want to see and help your friend but maybe it's time to give up. He's getting more and more combative every time we send someone back to get him. He doesn't want to see you, and I really don't think you continuing to show up is going to change that."

Laurel nods. She knows it's true but she can't give up. She looks down at the officer's nametag. "You're right, Officer Michaels," she agrees. "So, maybe you can help me out, please?"

The desperation in Laurel's voice seems to resonate with the female officer, and she sighs, gesturing for Laurel to continue.

"Maybe you don't tell him it's me? Tell him it's Bonnie Winterbottom?" she says, thinking up a plan as she talks. "He might be more willing to see her."

The officer looks reluctant. And Laurel can see that she doesn't think it will work. Officer Michaels shakes her head. "I don't know if that's the best idea," she says before lowering her voice and leaning forward towards Laurel, "I'm not supposed to do that, and if he complains, I could get in a lot of trouble."

Laurel nods but continues, "I know you have no reason to help me. I know that you don't know me or him. He's just another criminal to you, and I'm just another lawyer." She shrugs. "But I can't just leave him here to rot. And I can help him but he's scared. Please, I just need to be in the same room as him, and I know I can get through to him."

Officer Michaels weighs Laurel's words, and it's clear as soon as she resolves to help. "Okay, we'll try this once but then I can't help you like this again. You can't come in here with different names every day."

"I know. I won't," Laurel promises.

"You sure Bonnie Winterbottom is your best shot?" she asks, confirming that Laurel's sure.

"Yes, he'll meet with Bonnie."

"Okay," she agrees, getting everything together. "You know the drill," she says, gesturing with her head towards security.

Laurel goes through the process, hoping it will actually work this time, that he won't shut Bonnie out too. She hopes Bonnie hasn't been visiting either because that could mess everything up.

She makes her way into the room and takes her assigned seat. Deep breaths help calm her as the words she'll say play over and over in her head. As soon as he sees her, he's going to turn. She knows it, so she needs to be ready. It's only a few minutes later when the door opens and she has to stop the brief jealousy welling up inside her that he agreed to see Bonnie but not her. She doesn't have time to dwell on that.

The officer points Frank towards the cubicle he's supposed to go to. It's at the end, so he doesn't see her right away. He only looks up as he gets closer, and as soon as he sees her, his eyes harden, he shakes his head, and starts to turn away. This is it; her only chance. She won't have long.

She stands, calling out his name to get his attention. She sees the officer on her side start moving in her direction but she quickly gets out what she needs to say.

"We have two days, Frank," she shouts before he can be pulled out too. He stops and looks back at her. "Two days and then the DA is going to let you fry. There won't be a deal, Frank."

The officer grabs her by the arm, the other inmates and family members' eyes are on her, but she doesn't stop as she's dragged out. "I can fix it. We can do this together. You have to let me help you get out, please don't throw away this chance to finally get out."

He's pulled from the room then, as is she, but she catches his eye at the end. He knows that she's not just talking about jail. He has a chance to get away from Annalise. She just hopes he takes it.

Laurel is taken back to the front. Officer Michaels looks disappointed in her but maybe a little impressed, too, and Laurel can't stop the small smile that pulls at her lips.

"Well, Ms. Castillo, I think you know that you're not going to be allowed to visit anymore as a friend or family member," she says, her tone all business. Laurel knew that this would be the outcome, so she just nods. It was her last chance to get through to Frank, and she's glad she took it.

It's up to him now.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. :)_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

She's awoken the next day, early, to her cell phone ringing. She glances over and sees that it's only 7:30 AM. Who would possibly be calling her this early? The number is unknown but local, so she answers. She clears her throat but it's still a groggy 'hello' when she speaks.

"Ms. Castillo?" the female voice on the other end starts.

"Yes?" she starts to sit up, realizing this is more of a professional call.

"This is Officer Michaels," the person on the other line explains. "I'm sorry to call so early."

Laurel's awake now, concern filling her. "Is everything okay with Frank?" she asks. Why else would she be calling?

"He's fine," Officer Michaels calms. "He wants to see his lawyer this morning."

Laurel can hear the smile in those words but her mind is still in a fog, half asleep, and so she doesn't make the connection. "I don't understand."

"Laurel," she says informally. "Whatever you said worked. He told the warden this morning that he'd like to change his representation back to you. He'd like a meeting with you as soon as possible."

"He did?" she asks, unbelieving that something is going right for her.

"He did…" she confirms. "So, what time would you like to meet with him? We have space available at nine o'clock."

Laurel's up now, moving around the small hotel room and grabbing what she's going to need to quickly get ready. She's already thinking through everything she's going to need to do today, so much so that she nearly forgets to reply. She quickly does. "Yes, nine is perfect. I'll be there." She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, a smile pulling at her lips. "Thank you."

"I'll add you to the list," Officer Michaels replies, voice all business again before she ends the call.

When Laurel arrives at the jail, she's a ball of nerves. She somehow got through to Frank but she hopes that she can keep him on the right track. He's going to need to trust her and follow her lead. She knows that he doesn't want to be here. Who would? But they're going to have to be aggressive; he can't keep wavering. She can't either.

She's back in a meeting room, and it allows her to take a breath. He's not going to turn her away today, won't come in here telling her to leave.

When he is let into the room a few minutes later, he's looking down at his feet. Contrite. Once the door closes behind him, she can't help but move towards him. She's on autopilot when her arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him to her. It's completely unprofessional but she doesn't care about that. It's not like they've ever been professional with each other. He's here, and they are back on the right path. He stiffens slightly but soon relaxes, leaning into her, and she takes it in.

"Don't do that again," she tells him, her voice firm.

She hears his smile. "I won't."

When she pulls away, she gives him an encouraging smile and moves back to the table. "We should get started. We have a lot to go through."

He nods and walks over to the table. She thinks she sees some relief in his eyes that she's just moving forward, not yelling at him for everything he's put her through these last few days. He's been scared though and not for himself. She can't judge him for that, can't be angry that he's trying to protect her.

Despite her not mentioning it, Frank doesn't let it lie between them.

"I'm sorry," he tells her. "I didn't… I didn't want you to pay for this, for helping me."

"I know," Laurel responds softly with a nod. "It's okay, Frank. I know how she can be. It's not just you she's been working… And it almost worked, you know?"

He gives her a confused look, and so she continues. "Annalise cornered me at the courthouse after you dropped me. I was talking to the DA, trying to make sure he'd hold to his end of the deal if I could get you back on track, and when I was walking into the bathroom, she was right behind me."

She lets him absorb that information. He's smart; he has to know that Annalise wasn't just going to go after him.

"She threatened me, much in the way I expect she threatened you. She told me that she could put me there that night, that you and I were working together to frame her. That _I_ shot her, was trying to kill her."

He sucks in a breath. "Laurel—"

"No," she says before he can continue. "We can't second-guess what we're doing anymore. This is what we're doing Frank, and we're not going to let Annalise get away with this, get away with everything she's done. She told me that you almost stood up to her, when she came to visit you, but that she knew exactly what to say to get you to turn away from me. Don't let her have that power anymore."

"It wasn't just Annalise," he says then, breaking into her story.

Now it's her turn to be confused. "What are you talking about?"

He looks down at his cuffed hands, embarrassment clear. "I hate this." He gestures with his hands, holding them up between them as an example. "I hate that you're seeing me like this. That you have to come here and fight for me to get out of jail. And I didn't want you to have to do this. I didn't want to be the one bringing you down."

"Frank—"

"I've never felt like I was good enough for you. I know I'm not," he corrects. She's surprised by the words. He never acted that way; instead, he always tried to get her to see _the real Frank_ , and she liked him. "But I've never been in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit either," he continues. "At least I wasn't in jail, you know? I was trying to better myself, and I used to think that maybe I could be a better man for you. That one day I could somehow make up for it all. But instead, I ended up here."

She feels her heart constricting, and she tries to think of something to say. She doesn't know what though because, in a way, he's right. He's not the man she should have wanted to love her. But in spite of that she did. She did want him to love her, and she did love him. For some reason, he was the only person she wanted, despite the sickening things he did. When it's clear that she doesn't have anything to say to that, he fills the silence.

"And, yes, I am afraid that Annalise will go after you, that she will do to you what she did to me, and that I'll be responsible for ruining your future, your life."

She can't silent at that. "You're not ruining my life, Frank. I hate seeing you in here too but it's not because I think you're not good enough, that I'm lowering myself somehow by helping you. I'm here because I don't think you belong here. I should, maybe. We can go round and round about all the things you've done and how this is a fitting punishment. But that's not what I feel. And if I were to say that to you, I'd have to take a look at myself, at Wes and Bonnie, Michaela, Connor, and Asher. Because if I think that this is where you belong, then I have to say the same about the rest of us. We all deserve jail for what we did. But we all did what we did because of _her_. In some way, it all comes back to her."

And she wants him to have the life and freedom he helped her obtain. She knows that he's not what they say he is. But he needs someone to believe in him, needs someone to give him the chance to prove that.

"You have to be with me, Frank. If we're united on this, we can stop Annalise from coming after me, from going after the others."

"The others?" he asks.

"Yeah, she threatened the rest of the group. And, honestly, it was almost enough for me to back away, to let the chips fall where they may," she explains. "I don't want to be responsible for that."

"Then maybe we should stop right now," he says, and for once, she can tell he doesn't actually want to stop. He's worried about her. He doesn't want her to make a decision she'll regret.

She shakes her head. "You told me that night in your apartment that she was bluffing, that they were empty threats," she reminds him.

"She wasn't this desperate," he points out. He's right. It's all different this time. She doesn't have people around her to protect her anymore. Frank's not there to fix the evidence, Bonnie's loyalty is questionable, the Keating Five are long gone, and she doesn't know where Nate is these days. Annalise doesn't have as many options.

She's quiet for several moments, and Frank sighs. When she looks up at him, she sees the worry in his eyes. "You were right, though," he tells her.

"I was?" She doesn't know what he means.

"Yeah, you told me that she can't hurt you if I do this. If we go to the DA, lay out our concerns about what Annalise might do and the protections we need before agreeing to the deal, then we can do our best to cover those bases. We have to get everything out of this deal that we can," he reasons. And she can see just how "in" he is. Something has changed in him. Maybe it was her persistence, maybe it was him realizing that she was his best chance, or maybe it was something else. Either way, he's ready to fight Annalise.

"I thought it was my job to figure these things out," she finally says with a wry smile.

He shrugs slightly before smirking. "We always made a good team," he tells her.

"Yeah… we did." They share a smile before Laurel, turns away to take a notebook out of her bag.

"Well then, we should talk about our terms and what we need from our meeting with the DA before I'm kicked out. I'm not sure how much time they're going to give us. They aren't exactly happy with me after yesterday." She laughs softly.

Frank gives her a smile, watching her a moment before he nods in agreement. "Let's get started."

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Denver sounds more than relieved to get Laurel's call explaining that Frank is ready to meet as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he's in court for most of the day, and so it's not until the next day – Friday – that they are all in his office ready to deal.

"Now, Laurel and I have already discussed the basics of this deal but before we get into the details, I need to know that you're committed to this, Frank. Once we start this process, there's no turning back."

Frank looks like he's about to say something but Laurel jumps in, taking control of the conversation.

"We have some concerns to discuss, some terms that need to be met but assuming you agree to those… yes, my client will sign the agreement."

Denver smiles at her and nods. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement on those points. What are your concerns?" he asks.

"Annalise," she says simply. "She's threatened to involve other people who have nothing to do with this, threatened to take Frank down even more, and we need to know that whatever she says next isn't going to be taken at face value."

He looks at her for a long moment, and she thinks he's weighing everything, that maybe he's curious about what else Annalise could say about Frank or the others, but then he shakes his head and when he speaks, she realizes that she didn't know just how much he's been working on this.

"If Frank is going to sign, I guess I can tell you now that Frank is not the only person involved in this deal."

Laurel looks over to Frank and both of their faces convey their confusion.

"I already have two witnesses who have submitted signed affidavits," he discloses. "Two people who were closely involved with Annalise during the Hapstall case and other cases around that time. Both of them were aware of Frank's involvement, both of them noted that Annalise orchestrated the whole thing and that Frank would do anything he was asked, spent years working for a manipulative woman who, quote, 'all but owned him.'" He finishes by glancing down at his files, reading the words of one of his sources.

Laurel glances over at Frank, who's looking down at his hands. It's clear that he's embarrassed by that. But it's true, and it's what they need to use to get him out of this.

"You didn't tell me any of this before," Laurel interrupts.

"If I told you, then you would have known that I had hard evidence of Frank's actual involvement in the kidnapping and drugging of Catherine Hapstall, that he's been involved in numerous cover-ups, guilty of obstructing justice on several occasions, and who knows what else."

"I don't understand… if you have all of this evidence against Frank, why are you offering this deal, why did you arrest him on trumped up charges? I already thought you were going after him; I was already working to get him a deal. How does hiding this help that?"

"Because I needed him to think I only had what Annalise gave me. These other two sources are largely circumstantial. And if I am going to take down Annalise for obstructing justice, for covering up the scene of a murder, I needed someone with first-hand experience, someone who committed these crimes at her orders," he explains, "and making Frank think that it was just Annalise turning on him was the best way to get him to turn on her."

They all let that sink in, and Laurel can see Frank's leg bouncing as he takes in the rest of this information, knowing that it wasn't just Annalise but others turning on him as well.

"Who are your sources?" she asks.

"Laurel, no," Frank speaks then. He shakes his head when she looks at him. "We don't need to know. They did what they needed to clear their consciences." She looks at him a long moment. He's right. They don't need to be angry at any of the others for doing what they felt like they needed to get away from it all. She takes a deep breath, hating that someone finally turned after so long.

"Frank's right," Denver agrees. "And I couldn't tell you anyway. Anonymity is included in their deals… Look, I don't want Frank. I have no reason to believe that these crimes would have been committed if not for Annalise. I don't think Frank poses a threat to society, and so it's not exactly advantageous to pursue him."

She relaxes slightly; it's clear Denver doesn't know about Lila. This would be a very different conversation if he did. But Annalise did.

"Annalise could still say a lot of things, things that aren't necessarily true, as she did with her statement for this about Frank. And it's important that anything else she might say isn't used to go after Frank again or anyone else who may have been present during this timeline. Frank's immunity needs to protect him against any additional accusations Annalise may make," she tells Denver. It was one of their main points from the day before.

Denver nods. "I'm not going to go against anyone else, no matter what might be said. It's clear Annalise's word can't be taken at face value. The story she told was so wildly different from that the witnesses that anything she says holds no weight. And we can include that in the written agreement if that makes you feel better. I'm not looking to trick you, Laurel," he says. She nods in understanding.

"Laurel needs to be protected too," Frank speaks up, and Laurel turns her head towards him sharply.

"Frank. That's not necess—"

He just shakes his head and talks over her objections, looking directly to Denver. "I want something included that ensures you won't go after my counsel no matter what Annalise says. She's already threatened Laurel, and I wouldn't put it past her follow through in retaliation. I know you said you wouldn't go after the others but I want written assurances for Laurel or you get nothing from me."

"She threatened you?" Denver asks, looking from Frank to Laurel.

"It's nothing. She was trying to scare me off," Laurel says, trying to downplay Frank's words, show that a written agreement for her isn't necessary. It definitely wasn't part of her and Frank's plan, and she's a little annoyed by him going off-script.

Frank ignores that. "In writing," he reiterates.

Denver seems concerned, and she's surprised that it's an emotion he can summon. "We'll add it to the immunity agreement," he ensures. "Give me a couple of minutes, and I'll be back with the paperwork," he tells them before stepping out of the room.

"What was that?" she asks.

"I did what I needed to," he tells her, shrugging casually.

She rolls her eyes. "I don't need you protecting me, Frank," she tells him. "I can take care of myself."

He shakes his head. "I did it just as much for me as for you. I won't be able to live with myself if anything happens to you. Look, it didn't mess anything up. Just accept it, please."

She looks at him for a long minute before shaking her head, letting a small smile cross her lips. "You're so stubborn," she teases.

"Yeah, it's not my best quality," he teases back, returning her smile.

Denver comes back in and sits behind his desk as he places the document in front of Laurel. She takes it and begins to read through it carefully, making sure that all i's are dotted and all t's are crossed. When she's satisfied, she hands it over to Frank to read, knowing that he has a lot of experience reading these agreements. He can help her see if something has been missed. He gives her a nod once it's read, and she turns to Denver to give approval. He hands Frank a pen.

"Now, with this agreement, as you read, Frank will stay in custody through the duration of the trial against Annalise to ensure he complies and follows through with the deal. Once the trial wraps up, Frank will be released with all the privileges immunity entails, and his charges will be cleared from his record," he explains, giving a spiel she can tell he's given many times before.

"Understood," she agrees as Frank signs.

"You can still visit your client periodically but not every day," his words carry some humor, and she sure he's also heard about her prison antics. She doesn't care now though because everything is coming together, and it shouldn't take long for Frank to be released.

"When is Annalise being arrested?" she asks as she signs her own name to the agreement and hands it back across the table.

"I can't disclose that but I have everything I need now. Frank: you, Laurel, and I will meet a few times before the trial to go over your testimony but as long as everything stays on track and you give me what Laurel and I previously talked about, then you'll be out of there in no time… And if there's nothing else, I see we're a little early. Why don't the two of you take a meeting room down the hall? You can talk until Frank's transport is here," he suggests, and Laurel is grateful for a few more minutes with Frank.

They nod and stand. No one is all that concerned about Frank running at this point so the two of the walk down the hall, relatively free. He's handcuffed and there's an officer hovering over them but they have a little privacy, and despite those things, it feels normal like the many other times she and Frank had walked down these halls together. Everything feels a little lighter too.

That is until she hears her name from a very familiar but unexpected voice. She and Frank both turn towards the sound, and she sees Mark walking towards her. He's not happy.

"Mark?" she asks as he gets closer, confused about his presence. "What are you doing here?"

He doesn't answer, instead looks from her to the man next to her. He takes in Frank, notices the handcuffs, and looks back at her.

"It's been several days, again, since you've answered any of my texts or calls. You've ignored emails from the firm too. I figured I might be able to find you around here somewhere," he tells her. She's almost shocked that he came all the way to Philadelphia just because she didn't respond to him. His entire composure is different from what she's used to; sure, he's gotten upset with her plenty of times, and he's acted like this but she didn't think he'd actually follow her to another city to express that anger.

She just takes a breath before calmly answering. "We discussed how this is important to me. I told you I had to take care of this, and that's what I'm doing," she says before gesturing to Frank, instead of speaking about him as if he weren't there. "This is my friend, Frank. I'm helping him." She hates how the word 'friend' feels in reference to Frank. He's never going to be just her friend.

"I'm confused," Mark says without giving Frank a second glance. It's clear he's already dismissed him. " _This_ is your friend? What are you— You're _representing him_? You haven't even gotten your bar results back and those are for DC anyway."

She takes a breath. "I got the results back," she corrects. "And I passed. I've been admitted here on a _pro hac vice_ basis," she tells him.

He just rolls his eyes, his tone mocking as he speaks again. "Fine, so you're up here playing lawyer or whatever it is that you're doing, and that makes it okay to continue ignoring my calls?" Laurel sighs at the way his voice is getting louder, the way people are glancing at them, and she doesn't miss the look of anger on Frank's face, the way he stands a little taller next to her, as Mark starts belittling her. He doesn't do this often but there are times when Mark treats her as if she doesn't know what she's doing, or rather that he knows better than her.

"I'm not ignoring your calls," she tells him calmly, ignoring his tone and words to focus on what she's been doing. "I've been busy. There's a lot going on here, and as I've told you, it's important to me."

"Yeah, okay," he only responds, looking at her as if he's expecting more.

She shakes her head but before she can ask him to meet her at her hotel room, the officer comes up and tells them that Frank's transport is ready for him.

She ignores Mark and turns to Frank. "I'm sorry," she whispers to him, placing her hand on his arm. She hates that they lost some time together. "I'll see you tomorrow," she promises, hoping he'll understand.

Frank gives Mark a long, hard look, and she can see he wants to say something, that he's upset by this exchange. "Sure," he only responds, looking away from Mark at the last moment.

Before she can say anything else, she feels Mark's hand wrap around her arm and start to lead her out. When she looks back, all she sees is Frank being led away.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you think._


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN:** __I am so, so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I was sent out of the country for work and didn't end up having much time to work on this at all. Also, this chapter was struggling to come out. I hope you all enjoy it though. I should be back on a normal schedule now until the end!_

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

After Mark drags her out of the courthouse and away from her time with Frank, she wants to scream. She can't do that in public, though, doesn't want to make a scene, and so she tells Mark her car is there and to meet her at the hotel. He thinks she's going right there but she doesn't. She needs to think and calm down and to try and make sense of everything of everything she's feeling.

It's been going so well. Denver gives them everything they need, and it finally feels like Frank is going to be okay, but then Mark shows up. And if she's honest with herself, she hasn't been thinking much about him because her head is already wondering what could be after the trial, if there might be some future with Frank. It's a ridiculous thought. She can't stay in Philly when she has a life in DC. And she can't go backward; she can't let Frank in again.

She drives for what feels like hours, hoping to give Mark enough time to calm down and maybe even fall asleep. She doesn't want to have the conversation he came for tonight. She can't do it after everything she's been through this week.

When she gets back to the hotel room much later, she doesn't have that luck. Mark isn't asleep but he also doesn't seem to want a long drawn out conversation right now. At least, there's that.

He's sitting on the edge of the bed and gives her a weary look when she walks in. He's been stewing; she can see it right under the surface. She about to apologize but he beats her to it.

"I'm sorry," he says, standing from the bed and moving towards her. "I could have handled that better, and we have a lot to talk about. I'm angry," he tells her. Laurel nods, understanding why he would be.

"But not tonight," he whispers as he reaches her. He leans down and, to her surprise, kisses her as his hands grip her hips. It's hard and rough and so unlike him. But she lets him and kisses back with equal fervor because she can't think about Frank anymore tonight. She needs to remind herself of what she has back home. When Mark drags her to the bed, she goes willingly, forcing herself to think about smooth cheeks and dark brown eyes, forcing herself to think only about Mark, and not about the man she wishes were above her. It doesn't work for long.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

The next day Laurel is exhausted. She's relieved when she wakes before Mark and gets ready as quickly and quietly as she can. She doesn't want to wake him, doesn't want to have the conversation they put off. And she doesn't really want to talk to him right now anyway, not after last night, not after the way she closed her eyes tight and pictured someone else.

She has some free time and so she, perhaps stupidly, parks near the Middleton campus to take a walk around her familiar stomping ground. It's hard to believe it's only been two years. Some days, it feels like it was yesterday; others, a hundred years ago. Unsurprisingly, not a lot has changed. She feels a little older, though, as she sees some of the first years walking around in their first few weeks of class. That was a good time for her, or at least she thought it was then.

She had been chosen as one of the Keating Five and on the verge of something with Frank. She was blissfully unaware of the fact that he was a murderer, that she would be a cheater, that he had a girlfriend, and that they would all soon be sliding into the same hole in which Frank and Bonnie had been for years.

She takes a seat on one of the benches in the quad but tries desperately to push it all out of her head. She doesn't want to think about any of it. If she thinks about it, she's going to need to confront her feelings, figure out what it is she wants. And after everything this week, it's too much. She just wants to be.

Fate has other plans, it seems. And as a body takes a seat next to her, she knows exactly who it is before even looking.

"Ms. Castillo," the voice is short and clipped. And dangerous.

She takes a breath before glancing over. "Annalise," she greets. She doesn't know what she's expecting. Maybe subconsciously she's been looking for this. Why else would she even come here?

"So, you got Frank to turn. Congratulations. He'll be out in no time, I'm sure… Won't do much good, though. Frank's not someone who will wait around for years while you're in jail. Not when there are so many new students out there. And I'm sure that boyfriend of yours will leave as soon as the charges are announced," Annalise threatens.

Laurel suppresses the smug words looking for release. It would be so great to tell her right now that none of that will happen because she was smart and worked it into the immunity agreement. It would be so fulfilling to turn to Annalise and say, "you taught me well." Because despite it all, she did. She taught Laurel how to play dirty, and she taught Laurel that others would play dirty, so she had to be on the offensive if she wanted to survive.

She doesn't say any of that though because it will be so much more satisfying for Annalise to learn it from Denver. Instead, she plays along. It's what the woman wants after all.

"Sometimes you just need to admit defeat," Laurel says.

She laughs. "Sometimes you do, too, Laurel. I could have gone to the police from the beginning," she told her. "You killed Sam. Why do you think you should be able to get away with that? Why should Frank be able to get away with killing Lila? Why should any of you get away with it? I know growing up with your father has given you a somewhat skewed perception, some sense that you're above it all and don't deserve to be behind bars. But you're no better than I am, Laurel. And if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

Laurel's quite for several moments, looking out across the quad as she thinks through her next words. She's stronger than Annalise now. She won't let her get to her anymore. Being away for as long as she has, has given her the confidence she's always needed.

"Aren't you tired?" Laurel finally asks with a soft tone, still looking out at all the students. "Maybe it's time to take responsibility for everything you did, for everything we did for you, everything Frank and Bonnie have done for you."

"Everything I did? I didn't make you kill Sam. I didn't make Frank or Bonnie kill."

"Maybe not, but you tied them to you, manipulated them so that they'd do whatever they thought they needed to in order to protect you… You framed Nate, a man who loved you. You set up an elaborate crime scene when Sinclair was killed. Not to protect any of us but to protect yourself. You knew it would come back on you, that everything you had orchestrated would come tumbling down."

Laurel looks over then, holding her steady gaze. Annalise is trying to conceal any emotion but it's there, just under the surface. Laurel can see the beginning of recognition in her eyes, so she continues.

"You forced us to shoot you, instead of admitting defeat. We messed up, yes, but you used that. You destroyed us. But you let me get away… And now it's over; you lost," she says confidently, watching as Annalise's eyes widen slightly. She's ready to argue but Laurel cuts her off before she can even get a word out.

"You pushed away anyone who cared about you – Nate, Bonnie, Frank… – You pushed them all away, and it turns out, you can't stand on your own. There's no one to help cover up what you've done. Funny thing," she says, a bit of mocking entering her tone, "People aren't going to go out of their way to help you when they see that you'll just turn on them too. So, yeah, I got Frank to turn. Because he realized that you had turned on him first. And that there's a better life out there. And Bonnie turned," she reveals, "She's helped me help Frank. And Nate? He's nowhere to be found… So, who do you have, Annalise? Who's left to do your dirty work?"

When Annalise doesn't respond, Laurel knows there is nothing left to say. She grabs her purse and gives the older woman a nod.

"It didn't have to be this way," she finishes before walking away, her head held high.

She's almost shaking by the time she gets back to her car. She hasn't truly stood up to Annalise in such a way since she left DC despite the threats. She knows if everything goes well in the trial, then Annalise won't be able to hurt any of them again. That doesn't stop the nerves and anxiety bubbling on the surface right now, though. Annalise always seems to have something up her sleeve but for now, she feels good about what just happened.

There's a bit of pride, too, that she held it together and stood up for Frank and Bonnie and herself, for all of them.

She takes that all in on her way to the station. She set up a meeting with Frank; she didn't really need one but she wants to see him, and they didn't have any time to debrief the day before because of Mark. She takes a deep breath. No more Mark. She can't think about it right now. She knows as soon as she gets back to the hotel, they'll have yet another fight about her being in Philly and "ignoring" him.

Her good thoughts slip away, though, once Frank is in the room with her. The air is thick; there's a tension she can't quite place.

Frank is sitting across from her but hasn't said much. His gaze is intense, and it's almost hard for her to keep eye contact.

She's going through what they discussed with the DA and what the next few weeks will look like for him. She watches as his jaw clenches, the way his hands form fists as if he's trying to stop himself from saying something he might regret. And she can't even focus on her own words because he's angry, upset at her maybe, and she doesn't know why.

It's killing her to think she did something wrong. She stops mid-sentence and takes a moment, looking to him.

She shakes her head. "What is it, Frank?" she asks.

"What's what?" he feigns his obliviousness. She's always found him easy to read. She just doesn't understand why he's upset now. He should be happy about the outcome of this situation. It is the very best possible solution. He'll be out of there soon and without a record. It's almost a clean slate, a chance to start over and do it right.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asks the question that scares her the most.

"I'm fine, Laurel," he responds, shrugging.

"Stop, Frank… Something has changed, and I don't understand what happened. Everything is going so well, and—"

He cuts her off then, no longer to keep it in. "I never thought you'd let someone speak to you that way," he spits out. So, he is angry with her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." It's her turn to feign obliviousness.

He lets out a breath of disbelief that she's even trying to act like the way Mark treated her was okay. She knows it's not, would never have accepted it before. And she is upset about it, too. But he's not like that all the time, and it is her fault in a way.

"So, you're going to go with that story?" he asks. "Your little boyfriend shows up while you're working, publicly yells at you, belittles you for everyone to see, and you don't know what I'm talking about?"

She shakes her head. "He's just stressed," she tells him calmly. "He's not usually like that. If I had responded to his texts it wouldn't have happened."

"So, he doesn't make it a habit to manhandle you? Drag you out of rooms?" he asks the questions but it's clear that he thinks he already knows the answer; he thinks that this is regular behavior for Mark.

His assumptions start to anger her because he knows nothing about her life now, nothing about the person she's become or her relationship with Mark. Yeah, she might not be where she wants but it's not Frank's place to say anything.

"Don't do that," she tells him, her tone tense.

"Do what?"

"Act like you know anything about me, that you're trying to look out for me. We both know what's really going on here," she tells him.

He takes a moment, weighs her words, and crosses his arms. "And what's that?"

"You're jealous," she accuses.

"This is not me being jealous," he asserts, shaking his head as he rolls his eyes.

"It's not? This is none of your business, Frank. My life in DC has nothing to do with you. Mark was there when I needed someone; he's supportive and loves me. You can be jealous all you want but don't act like you have any understanding of our relationship." She raises her chin, a confidence to her words that she doesn't really feel because, yes, she's not okay with the way Mark has been treating her since all of this began but she's not going to let Frank have this power.

"Then why are you even here, Laurel?" he asks, his tone mocking. "If everything in DC is so great, and Mr. Trust Fund is fulfilling all your needs, why even bother with me? Why drop everything in your perfect life and put your career on the line just to help a ghost from your past?"

She looks at him then, stunned and hurt. And after a moment: "You know why I'm here," she tells him softly.

"Do I?" he challenges, refusing to make this easy for her.

"You should," she tells him, unable to really say the words, not quite ready to admit them to herself.

"Frank," she sighs, "I've been able to get out from under Annalise, and I know how good that is. I've been able to grow and have a chance to get away from it all, everything I've been trying to get away from since I left Florida. And more than anything? I want that for you. It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to owe her anymore. You can live your life. Do something good. Make amends."

It's not enough. It's not what he wants to hear, she knows. She can see it in his gaze but she can't say it, not when she's so confused herself.

"You should go," he says finally. He looks away from her. She can see him shutting her out again, probably thinking that he's doing the right thing for her.

She refuses to make this easy for him. "What?"

"I don't need you anymore," he says plainly.

"Frank," she breathes out, the pain in her voice clear.

"I already signed the plea deal. I just have to make nice and do what I said I would and then I'll get out and go on my way. I don't need you for that."

"Frank, stop this. There's no reason to act this way. I want to be here to help you. It doesn't matter if I'm with Mark or not," she pleads. "You don't even know him."

He shakes his head at that, and she sees some anger appear in his eyes. He looks at her then, and she knows that his next words are meant to hurt her, to make her go.

"I didn't do everything I did to make sure you could get away, that you could get out without Annalise retaliating against all of them… You don't even know half the things I did for you." He sneers. "And I didn't do all of that just so you could end up with a guy like him, be okay with someone treating you like their property. That's not the Laurel I knew, not the woman I loved."

His words are harsh, the pain clear, and she can tell he means them. She's not sure if it's jealousy or if he really is upset by the way he saw Mark treating her. It's probably a little of both. But the words hurt her too. He's right. She's not the same girl. But she doesn't exactly like being confronted with that fact. And it's not necessarily a bad thing. She's better off now, isn't she?

Instead of responding, she takes a breath and shakes her head before raising her eyes to meet his.

"You're right," she says, removing the emotion from her voice. "You don't need me as your lawyer anymore. But you do need a lawyer in case Denver tries to pull something." He nods slightly. "I'll send someone," she tells him, picking up her bag and standing before walking to the door, not able to look back.

Leaving the room, she has to stop the tears from welling. He's just upset. They both are but she has to remember that everything is still on the right track. They need to calm down and then it will be okay. It has to be.

When she leaves the prison, she thinks about her options, about what she might be able to do. Bonnie isn't a possibility, not with Annalise still out; she knows that. So, she scrolls through her phone before stopping on the name of an old friend. She had transferred some numbers to a new phone when she got to DC, just in case she would ever need them, just in case something like this ever happened. She hits the green button and puts the phone to her ear.

When the familiar voice answers, she takes a deep breath. "Hi, it's Laurel… I need your help."

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

They agree to meet at a small coffee shop they frequented during finals. She gets there first and finds a table in the corner. Her mind has been running a million miles an hour. She needs to make sure that Denver doesn't try to change their deal, that Frank is okay while he's still in prison, and that somehow they'll be okay when he's out. She can't go back to not having him in her life; she knows that much is true. She doesn't know exactly what's going to happen but as long as they have a chance to figure it out, it's all she needs.

She looks up to the door when she hears the familiar bell and sees Michaela enter. She's surprised though when she sees Connor following. Smiling anyway, she stands and waves them over. It's been so long but they will always have a bond. It may be a murderous, need-to-keep-everything-quiet bond, but a bond nonetheless. And honestly, she's kind of missed them.

The feeling seems to be mutual when Michaela steps forward to give her a small hug. "You look great, Laurel. DC treating you well?" she asks.

"You do as well... You knew I was in DC?" Laurel's surprised by that knowledge.

Connor steps forward then, giving her a small hug as well. "It's not that hard to Google," he told her with a knowing grin.

"Right," she concedes, sitting back in her seat as they join her. "I was only expecting one of you," she notes, looking at Michaela. She had given Michaela a brief rundown over the phone but didn't expect her to be bringing in additional people, is a little weary of that.

"Yeah, well, if she's going to help you, I am too," Connor says with a shrug, surprising Laurel. He notes her surprise and continues on. "Neither of us ever really liked Frank, you know that," he starts, his voice low and sincere, "but we saw what he went through to protect you. And we saw how he tried to protect the rest of us. He may have been doing it mostly for you, and to save himself, but still, he helped us when things got rocky… If we can return the favor and take Annalise down at the same time? I want in."

Laurel gives him a long look, weighing his words and also coming to the realization that she really has no idea what happened for all of them after she left. She feels a bit guilty about that but they don't seem to be holding anything over her.

"I appreciate you both being willing to help. Frank and I had a bit of a disagreement but most of the work is done, and I just need someone to help make sure he stays on the right track and to look out for him. I don't know that Denver will try anything but in case he does," she explains.

"Are you going back to DC?" Michaela asks.

"No," Laurel says immediately, no uncertainty in her words. "I'm not going to leave until I know he's out."

Connor watches her carefully for a few moments, and she's sure that he can see right through her. He always could. But he doesn't say anything, and she's grateful for that.

"How have you two been?" she asks, turning the spotlight off of her for a moment.

"Good," Michaela answers with a smile. "It's much better now that we're away from Middleton. Wes went to California; he's an associate at a firm in San Francisco."

"And Michaela and I are at the same firm here in Philly. I think we both thought about going somewhere else but it's not a bad place to be when we don't have to do Annalise's bidding." He laughs but she can tell a lot more must have happened after she left that she doesn't know about or understand.

"I'm glad you're away from it all," she tells them.

"We were glad you got away too, Laurel," Michaela assures her.

Laurel smiles. "Thanks."

"So," Michaela continues, pulling out a notebook. "Tell us everything we need to know about Frank's case."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a little note to let me know whether or not you liked it!_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After going over the case, explaining the immunity agreement, and expressing her concerns to Michaela and Connor, they start talking about what's going on in everyone's lives.

Michaela has been dating a lawyer at her firm. They had met during her associateship the previous summer. Knowing Michaela's terrible taste in men, Laurel's not sure what to think about it until Connor butts in on the story to confirm that he's actually really great. And Michaela's happy; she can see that clearly.

Connor and Oliver are still together. They had a rocky time of it, Connor tells her, once Oliver found out the truth about everything. Laurel knows how that goes but she's glad that they somehow made it work.

That they both have been able to move beyond that first year and come out of it somewhat normal makes her feel better about all of it. Laurel's most surprised, however, by how easy it all is to talk to them, about how much she's actually missed them.

They part with the promise to talk soon, once they have a chance to meet with Frank. She hopes that goes alright, that Frank will be receptive to their help. She thinks he will be. As she drives back to the hotel, she thinks more about what Michaela and Connor told her about Frank and what happened after she left. They didn't go into too many details but from what they said, the summer after she left was the worst.

Annalise went on yet another a downward spiral.

Frank was gone for a couple of weeks, ostensibly looking for her, and when he came back empty handed, it apparently triggered Annalise's paranoia. She thought Frank was lying to her, and she thought Laurel was going to turn on her, so she became even worse than before and even threatened to turn them all in. Frank did everything he could to talk her back from that ledge, did things that they weren't even aware of to prove to Annalise that he wasn't working against her, that Laurel simply needed to get away from it and wasn't a threat. And it was Frank and Bonnie that eventually convinced Annalise to let the rest of the leave and go off on their next two years, a clean break and a fresh start for all of them.

She didn't know any of that but why would she? She left and never looked back.

She's already so tired when she arrives back at the hotel but she knows what's about to happen. She can see it in Mark's posture when she walks into the room that's been her home the past few weeks.

"So, we're doing this," she says in greeting.

He shakes his head and shrugs. "I just don't understand, Laurel," he tells her, standing from the bed.

"Understand what? I told you that a friend needed my help," she says as she lays her bag on the small table next to her laptop. She turns to him. " _I_ don't understand why you couldn't give me the space I've needed to do this, or why you expect me to check in with you every moment of the day when I have more important things to deal with."

She sees the hurt flicker in his eyes at her words but she doesn't want to back down. She's angry at him for treating her the way he has, and she's angry at herself for doing exactly what Frank accused – letting him.

"More important…" he repeats. "So, you drop everything in our life, put your position at the firm in jeopardy, and for what? To defend some blue-collar criminal?!"

She gapes a moment at the words as they sink in. Sure, he's always been a snob but to actually suggest she not defend someone because he's not powerful or rich… not when he knows that she's always wanted to help the people who need it the most.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks stupidly.

"That we're better than him. He's not worth your time or your energy." He's yelling now, and she feels like she's seeing a different side of him that she always knew, deep down, was there; she had made herself ignore all the signs.

When she doesn't respond, he continues. "Or is it true what they used to say about you?"

She looks at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"My friends warned me before we started dating. Said that you slept around quite a bit, would spread your legs for anyone who asked." She slaps him; though, she feels like she's the one been slapped because she never thought he would say something like that to her. Yeah, she's not going to say there weren't several guys once she moved to DC – an attempt to forget everything in Philadelphia and Frank – but she knows for a fact that Mark had slept around too. And why should any of it matter? It was before she even knew him.

"Get out," she says, her voice oddly calm – the opposite of what she feels at this moment.

He shakes his head and walks to his bag, throwing in some clothes from the day before but he doesn't let it rest. "Is that why you've been so closed off? Ignoring me? Did you use to screw this guy? Hoping he'll screw you again if you get him off?" His tone is mocking now. He's trying to hurt her, and suddenly, she can't figure out what it is she ever saw in him.

"I said get out. We're done. When you get back to DC, get your things out of my apartment and never contact me again," she tells him, holding her head up though she can feel the tears threatening to come to the surface.

He doesn't protest, and she realizes that this is probably what he had been expecting anyway. He gets the rest of his things but pauses before he gets to the door of the room.

He looks back at her. "You know, the firm won't hold your position for much longer."

"They don't have to," Laurel tells him, shrugging slightly.

He takes that in a moment, narrowing his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"You know." She's made a decision. She's not going back there.

He gives her a long look before releasing a soft scoff. He shakes his head and resettles his bag on his shoulder, walking away from her. He stops, again, one last time before reaching for the door and just looks at her as if he's expecting her to change her mind. They both know she won't. And with that, he exits the hotel room and her life.

The tears start to fall as soon as the door closes behind him. It's not that she's sad it's ending with Mark. It's everything else – what he said, what Frank said, and the whole situation. She moves to the bed and lays down on her back, just staring up at the ceiling as the tears fall. What is it that she even saw in Mark? Has he been this way the entire time? If he had been, she can't imagine that she'd stay with him this long. So, maybe it was her coming up to Philadelphia and forgetting all about him. Was he jealous? Hurt? Either way, it didn't make what he said or what he's done okay. And Frank saw that before her.

Frank. She wipes at her eyes. Why was she even here? Why did she feel like she had to drop everything to be here? Of course, part of her knows it is because he did so much to help her, and she wants to return the favor. But it's more than that. She knows that it is. From the beginning, it's been because she's known that she's supposed to be with Frank.

She's been gone for more than two years but she's never stopped loving him. It's why she could never tell Mark that she loved him, why it felt wrong when she finally did, and why she never allowed herself to get that close to him, to let that wall down.

Frank is her family, the only person who ever seemed to understand her, and her heart can't let that go. He's it for her. He's all she wants.

And with that revelation, she makes a decision. She's not going back to DC. Well, she is but only to get her things. She needs to be in Philadelphia. Somewhere along the way, in that one year of law school and murders, this became her home.

With a renewed sense of what she wants, Laurel wipes at her eyes and sits up. It's time to get to work. She moves to her computer and starts researching the Bar requirements in Pennsylvania. The next exam is in February but that shouldn't stop her from being able to get a job with a law firm here. She has her DC Bar admission and that gives her options until she's able to take the exam.

She starts with a list of everything she needs to do over the next few days: pack her apartment, arrange for movers, find someone to sublet her apartment, withdraw her job acceptance in DC, find a job in Pennsylvania, and finally, fix things with Frank. She takes care of the job in DC with a quick email and posts an ad on Craigslist for the apartment. She can't help the smile that appears as she crosses those things off her list.

She works well into the night before falling asleep. When she wakes, she has a text from Michaela, letting her know that they'll be meeting with Frank soon and will let her know how it goes. As she starts to text back, she gets a call from a familiar number she's not expecting.

"Hello?" she answers with a smile.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Laurel walks into the diner and smiles when she sees the older women waving at her. She walks back to the booth and is about to slide in when the woman stands to hug her.

"Hi, Mrs. Delfino," she greets, gratefully returning the hug. She didn't realize how much she needs that connection with someone. "It's good to see you."

"And you too. You're even more beautiful than I remember," she tells her as they both sit. "My Frankie is a lucky man. And please, it's Gia."

Laurel laughs off the comment about Frank, not bothering to correct her. "I was happy to get your call," she tells Frank's mom. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Well, as much as I want to catch up – and I do – I'm sure you know you're here to talk about Frank," she says, getting to the point in a way that reminds her of Frank. Laurel laughs.

"I figured," Laurel says with a smile. She waits until the waitress brings her a cup of coffee before continuing. "Have you talked to him at all?"

She watches the sadness in the older woman's eyes before Gia shakes her head. "No, he won't let me or his father see or talk to him. I got him on the phone for about thirty seconds, just for him to tell me not to worry and that he was okay," she reveals. "He didn't sound okay," she tells Laurel.

"He wasn't, for a while," Laurel admits. "But things are turning around, and it's going to be okay. We've worked it out. He's going to be in jail until the trial for Annalise but, once he testifies, he'll be released." She can't _not_ tell his mom what's going on. She's a little upset with Frank for treating his parents this way too. She could only wish to have parents so loving.

"Annalise?" Gia asks, surprised by this information. Of course, Frank would never have told her anything about what he did for the woman.

"Yeah, I can't go into details but it's going to work out for Frank, and he'll get out and be able to have a fresh start without this hanging over him," she tells her, pausing a split moment for continuing, wanting to comfort the woman a bit more. "And I wouldn't take Frank pushing you away personally. He's… embarrassed. It's why he had me call you before. He hates where he is and that you and his father know that he's there. He doesn't want you to worry about him," she says. "And to be honest, he probably thinks you're disappointed in him. We both know he wouldn't do well with that information."

Gia takes in Laurel's words and nods softly before letting a small smile appear on her face. "That's my Frankie. He's never wanted me to worry about anything," she tells Laurel. "He's always been a good son that way."

Laurel smiles because it's learning these things about Frank that makes her love him even more.

"So," his mom starts, "you back for good?"

The question throws her a moment but then Gia is giving her a knowing look as if she can read her mind, and so Laurel smiles. "Yeah… If he'll have me."

"He will," she says confidently. "I've never seen that boy love something as much as he loves you."

Laurel takes a big breath, knowing that's true. Frank's proved it now so many times. "I kind of messed it up last time we talked."

Gia laughs. "Are you saying Frank doesn't mess up every time he opens his mouth?" she teases.

Laurel's laughter joins hers but she soon grows a bit serious.

"Laurel, I know my son," she says in a maternal tone, reaching across the table to pat Laurel's hand. "I'm sure whatever happened can be fixed. You two need to sit down outside of prison, that's all. Just show him how you feel. And don't let him push you away. Frank'll think it's best for you even if it goes against how he feels. But, Laurel, you're the best thing that's ever happened to him. Believe me, no other girl even came close."

Laurel swallows the lump in her throat before looking down at her coffee. She doesn't know if it's hearing what she already knew or if it's having his mom's support after all this time but she's feeling a little emotional, and a little bit like everything is finally going to be okay.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

After Gia convinces Laurel to have breakfast with her, they talk a bit more about Frank. She hears more about how he was as a kid and about what he's been doing the last couple of years. She learns he brought a couple of girls home but, according to his mom, it was clear that he was just with them to pass the time.

After, she doesn't really know what to do. She has no reason to see Frank, no reason to be in the law library researching, no reason to be at the courthouse. She doesn't do well with idle time. She's Type A, and she's at her best when she's doing something.

There really is nothing left to do, though. She's passed the rest of it off to Michaela and Connor. Now, she just has to figure out how to get everything from DC up to Philly. So, that's what she does.

She makes it back to the hotel and starts in on her work. At some point, her phone rings and she sees Michaela's name pop up.

"Hi, Michaela," she answers. "How did it go? Did Frank cooperate?" she asks quickly before even giving the other woman a chance to respond.

"Hello to you too, Laurel," Michael says. Laurel can hear the smile in her tone.

"Sorry," she laughs. "I've just been nervous about it."

"I know. But it went great. Frank agreed to our help because he knew you sent us. And he was very cooperative," Michaela tells her, letting Laurel breathe a sigh of relief. "I do wish he'd stop calling me Prom Queen, though," she adds.

Laurel can't stop the laugh then. Of course, he would still call her that. She shakes her head and responds lightly. "I assure you it's said with love," she teases.

"I don't know about that. Friendly but mutual disdain, maybe," Michaela says with her own laugh.

"I know he appreciates you being willing to help. I told you how there were two others that turned on Frank. I think knowing that it wasn't either of you…" she trails off.

"Did Denver tell you who it was?" Michaela asks with curiosity.

"No, and I asked. Denver couldn't tell us but Frank didn't want to know anyway. Said that they did what they had to. But still, I'm sure it's not a good feeling to know that someone named him, especially not after Annalise did the same," she reveals. "I mean, Frank's always been very loyal."

"Yeah, no offense but that's kind of his downfall here."

Laurel agrees, so she doesn't respond. "Did he seem okay?"

"You saw him yesterday," Michaela reminds her, and after a moment adds: "You know, I didn't believe Connor when he said that you two would be back together as soon as the trial was over but between you and him both asking about the other, I see it now."

"He asked about me?"

"Yes, of course, that's what you pick up on," she teases. "He asked how you were, and if I had seen you. I reminded him that he had seen you just yesterday too." Michaela laughs. "So, spill. You two getting back together?"

That throws Laurel a little because, yeah, she wants to but it's not something that they've talked about at all. "I-uh, I don't know. There's a lot we'd have to work through, maybe too much to even bother," she lies, not comfortable with admitting anything to her before Frank. "And besides, a lot could go wrong before the trial."

"MmmHmm. You going back to DC?" she asks.

"No," Laurel responds. "But please don't tell him that. I don't want him preoccupied with anything I may or may not be doing. He just needs to focus on the trial. I'm only going to get in the way of that."

"Laurel—"

"I'm serious, Michaela. Please don't tell him anything. Please, if he asks, just let him know I'm okay."

"Okay…" Michaela reluctantly agrees.

She can tell that the other woman doesn't really understand why she doesn't want Frank to know but for Laurel, it's what she needs to do. She doesn't want Frank to be distracted or do anything stupid.

"Thanks," Laurel says. "Keep me up to date on everything, okay?"

"I will. We'll talk later, Laurel. Maybe we can get dinner next week?" she asks.

"I'd like that. Bye, Michaela."

She smiles as she hangs up the phone and turns back to her computer. There's a lot to do, and she needs to get on the road soon, head back to DC. If she's going to start moving forward in Philly, she needs to pack up her life one last time. This time, though, it actually feels like she's finally on the right track.

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 _Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think. :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_I can't believe this story is almost over! This is the penultimate chapter and I really hope you all enjoy. I've loved writing this story, and I would love to know what you all think!_

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 **Chapter 15**

It's another two weeks before Annalise's trial starts. Laurel's honestly surprised it happens so quickly. Annalise is arrested only two days after Frank signs his immunity, and it brings a wave of relief. She knows that there's so much more that can go wrong but this is a big step. As long as Annalise had been out, Laurel couldn't bring herself to believe that her arrest would actually happen. Laurel knows how good Annalise is. She's gotten out of close calls before but she had always had other people helping her. She had all of them; she had Frank. Now, they are all one step closer from putting that first year of law school behind them for good.

Fortunately, too, Denver pushes hard for a speedy trial. He needs it for his campaign; Laurel needs it for closure. She can't fully relax until she knows Annalise is behind bars and can't retaliate. Given the high-profile nature of the case, the judge agrees. She keeps up on it as much as she can through the news and coffee meetings with Michaela and Connor. She stays away from the courtroom, though, unable to sit idly by and watch. She can't be there for Frank's testimony either. Maybe she should be but she knows the story, knows she's not going to be able to hear him tell it again. She doesn't want to distract him either, needs him to stay focused.

And, really, there's not a whole lot she _can_ do, except wonder how he is, how he's holding up in prison. He's so close to getting out; she just hopes nothing will get in the way of that.

She's able to keep her mind from going too far down that road and all the uncertainty that still exists by turning to all of the other unsettled things that's she's actually able to do something about. She goes back to DC for several days, works hard to pack up her apartment, finds someone to sublease the space, and sells the furniture that won't be needed. She packs up a U-Haul pod, figures out how to hitch it to her car, and makes the journey back to where she belongs.

All the while, she starts looking for a job at a firm in Philly. She's going to need something soon. She knows she can't live off of her parents forever, doesn't want to anymore. But it's a hard sale at the moment. Hundreds of newly-barred lawyers in Pennsylvania are securing their jobs, and she knows she can't compete. If she could just get her foot in the door, though; could just talk to someone, then she can plead her case. She knows she can pass the bar in Pennsylvania, has already in DC. There are options for the firm and for her, and she just needs an opportunity to show them why they should take a chance on her.

One of the things she's gained in this whole ordeal with Frank is a greater self-confidence in her abilities. She got through to Frank, worked out a deal with Denver, and got it signed. She did all that herself, and she's sure now, more than ever, of all that she brings to the table. She's not going to shy away from that.

Thanks to an old professor's glowing recommendation, one firm bites, and it's not long before she's starting with them. It's temporary at the moment, she's doing mostly work in the background and proving herself the best she can. But there's promise: as soon as she passes the bar in February, she'll be hired permanently as a lawyer with the firm. It's a start.

She makes another bold move once she's back in Philly. She doesn't have an apartment, doesn't have anywhere to go, but she has an old key to Frank's apartment. He gave it to her just days before his confession, and she never actually gave it back. It doesn't take her long at all to make the decision, taking a chance on their future, and start to move in her boxes. That there's room for all of her clothes and the other items she slowly starts to unpack blend in well with his, proves to her that she's made the right decision. She belongs there, with him.

She distracts herself over the next month by throwing herself into her new job and by going to dinner with Michaela and Connor twice a week. They promise Frank is holding up well and may even be a little optimistic about his situation. They _all_ sound optimistic as if this weight they've been carrying around is slowly starting to lift.

It's the Sunday dinners with Frank's parents and family that not only come as a surprise but also provide her with the greatest sense of comfort. When his mom calls and invites her the first week, Laurel's a little unsure but can't deny his mom. She enjoys how it feels to be surrounded by supportive and loving people, and so, Laurel keeps going back week after week. His mom dotes on her and his dad tries to teach her how to be a better poker player for when Frank comes home. There is laughter and love, and it feels so different from anything she's ever had with her own family. She finds herself thinking about the future, about what she and Frank could one day have.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

She's in the courtroom, sitting between Michaela and Bonnie, when the verdict is announced. She can't stay away, has to see for herself how it all turns out so that she can really believe it. The jury sees through the defense's arguments, believes Frank's words and the words of the two anonymous informants. Denver did his job, and if she didn't dislike him so much, she might congratulate him. Annalise is found guilty on multiple counts: aiding and abetting, accessory, conspiracy, perjury, and obstruction of justice. She's sure to spend time in prison, and with that thought, Laurel breathes a sigh of relief. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Bonnie do the same. It's over. Finally.

She doesn't stick around after. She has some things to take care but Michaela promises her that she and Connor will make sure Frank is released as soon as possible. It's not yet noon, and Bonnie chimes in that Denver should be able to get him out by evening. She can see the relief in Michaela's smile. Laurel smiles too. It turns out that after all this time, they still have each other's backs.

The excitement is thrumming through her the rest of the day. She's going to see him soon. Out of prison, out of danger. It's almost enough to overpower her nerves. She shouldn't be nervous at all; deep down she knows how Frank feels but they haven't talked since their fight, and she misses him, just wants to move on from the things that were said. They've got an opportunity to start fresh, away from Annalise's shadow and manipulations, away from Sam's ghost.

Connor stops by Frank's around 5:00 PM to pick up some clothes for him. He knew she'd be there; they had talked about it at one of their dinners, but still, he makes a teasing comment about how predictable she is. She just laughs. Frank's is expected to be released shortly, and Connor tells her that he'll give him a ride home as soon as he is, that he should be home in a couple of hours.

It's perfect timing for Laurel, gives her just enough time to make Frank's famous ziti. And she does try to make it just the way he does, even calls his mom to make sure she has all the ingredients. Comfort food, she thinks. Something to make him feel at home after being stuck in a cell for more than two months.

When she hears the keys jingling in the door, she takes a deep breath and tries to calm her nerves, still her shaking hands. Frank's not expecting her, and though she thinks he'll be glad to see her, she can't be sure until it happens.

He walks in the door and she watches him a moment before he sees her or registers the smell of pasta. He pauses as soon as the door shuts behind him and leans back against it, taking a deep breath. It's one of relief that he's actually out, one of relishing being back home. After a few moments, his forehead crinkles slightly and he breathes in again as if he's only just realizing the smell of food cooking. His eyes slowly start to open, and she wants to turn back to the stove. It would give her a few more moments to calm herself but she can't look away from him. He's right here in front of her, and she doesn't want to miss any of that. He looks towards the kitchen, and she sees the surprise on his face, the widening of his eyes.

"Laurel?" he asks, almost as if he can't believe she's in front of him either.

That's when he starts to notice the other little differences about his apartment. He sees a new lamp on the table next to his couch, and his eyes start to wander, noticing a new picture on the bookshelf, before they fall on the few, still unpacked boxes in the corner. His eyes crinkle and his brow furrows as he takes it all in, tries to figure it out.

The silence is killing her but she's not able to voice what she's done. So, she clears her throat before speaking, ignoring it as she turns back to the pot on the stove and stirs the sauce. "Now," she starts, keeping her voice light as she references the pasta. "I'm sure this is not as good as yours but I think it's pretty close. You should come try it to make sure I didn't miss anything." After a moment she looks back over her shoulder, expectantly.

He's not content to just let everything rest. He's confused. She can see that, and he says at much. "Laurel… what's going on?" he asks, taking a small step in her direction. "What are you doing here?"

He gestures to the boxes but she can see then he's not actually upset that she just took this step without talking to him. Instead, she thinks he might be trying to temper his hope. And that gives her the push she needs to voice what she wants.

She places the spoon down and wipes her hands on a towel before giving him a little shrug, a small smile playing at her lips. "I've been away for too long," she starts, hoping he can see in her eyes just how much she loves him. "It was time for me to come home."

Her words are pointed. There's no doubt that she thinks he's her home, her family.

He doesn't say anything for several moments. They simply stare at each other but she can see every emotion passing over his face. He's overwhelmed; honestly, she is too. But the clear love she sees in his eyes, the way her heart feels like it's about to burst, reminds her that this is right. So, so right.

Finally, he drops the bag he's been carrying and walks towards her with determination. She doesn't have time to process before his arms are wrapping around her waist and lifting her easily. He walks them towards the nearest wall, pinning her against it.

"I love you so much," he whispers roughly before his lips are on hers, kissing her with so much pent up passion and raw emotion.

She almost sobs in relief to feel him against her again, to kiss him after so long. Her arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him as close to her as she can get him. This, _this_ , is what coming home feels like; _this_ is what she's been missing for the past two years; _this_ is why she could never feel like she belonged in DC or with Mark. It's because her body, _her heart_ , has always craved Frank. She's convinced that she was made for him, and he was made for her. If that wasn't the case, then she wouldn't feel like she does now.

After several minutes of Frank ravishing her lips, she starts to remember where they are, remembers the pasta cooking on the stove and probably starting to burn, and forces herself to pull away from Frank's lips when he begins to move them away from the wall and probably towards his bedroom.

"Wait. Wait," Laurel murmurers as he does.

"I'm not waiting," Frank mumbles back, raggedly, not stopping on his journey at all as he kisses her again.

Laurel laughs and pulls her lips away from his once more. She places her hands on his cheeks and looks at him through the tears of happiness that have started to gather. "The stove," she explains, amused, and waits until understanding crosses Frank's face, and he sighs, slowly setting her down on the ground.

He holds her in place, though, and rests his forehead against hers, speaking in a firm tone that's deep and buttery.

"Don't. Move." His words, his tone, hold a promise of what's to come, and she has to stop herself from moaning. God, she's missed everything about him.

Her gaze stays trained on him as he walks over to the stove and goes about turning off the burners. A weight has been lifted from his shoulders, and she thinks he might be more relaxed than she's ever seen him. She feels lighter than she has in years too.

She watches as he moves around the kitchen, easily finding the lids to the pots and placing them on top. She can't stop her eyes from running over his body. He hadn't been there long but she can see that prison has a taken a bit of toll on him. His beard is less kempt than she's used to but it's not crazy like it could be. His hair is ungelled and too long. And he's lost a little weight, not a lot but she can see he must not have been eating well. Still, he's gorgeous. He's here. He's hers. And she's never going to lose him again.

That's when she sees his smirk as he starts making his way back to her. He obviously caught her staring but she doesn't care. She's allowed to do that now. She smiles as he moves closer, and it's only moments before he picks up where he left off, wrapping his arm around her waist and easily lifting her off the ground. She wraps her legs around him and pulls herself closer as their lips find each other.

Once in the bedroom, he moves straight to the bed. He carefully lays her down, holding himself above her. He looks at her for a long a moment, and the connection between them seems infinite.

"New bedspread?" he teases, breaking the moment. She can't help but laugh with him. He's clearly amused by the way she's just moved into his place but she sees that he's happy with the situation even if he didn't expect it.

She reaches up and rests her hands on his cheeks, not bothering to respond as she sobers. "I love you," she says simply before pulling him down to her and kissing him.

It grows heated again quickly, and it's not long before Laurel is completely naked. Frank somehow still has his boxer-briefs on but she's not worried about it at the moment because he's kissing his way down her body, pulling a nipple between his teeth, letting his beard scrape along her stomach as he presses gentle kisses along her smooth skin. She's sighing softly, feeling every touch and every breath against her skin.

He pauses then, looks up at her a moment, before pulling back.

"You know, I'm actually starving," Frank says, and though his eyes are moving over her naked body, his words seem serious and she's thrown by that because she doesn't know how he can be thinking of food when they are finally here again. He gives her a little smile, and she forces herself to respond.

"Oh, okay," Laurel says, slightly disappointed, but instantly feeling guilty about that. He's been in prison, and she was just thinking how he had lost weight. He probably didn't ever have good food in there. This can wait. She returns his smile and starts to sit up. "Dinner was basically ready. Probably still hot," she tells him.

Frank stops her, though, by laying his large hand on her stomach and gently pressing her back down against the bed. "I don't want pasta. I'm in the mood for a more local delicacy, real good," he tells her with a smirk. "Last time I had it was over two years ago."

Laurel catches on then and almost instantly feel her cheeks burning. She wants to tell him he's a dork, wants to laugh even. But she can't because, instead, she feels the liquid pooling between her thighs. Her breathing picks up as his hands run up and down her thighs, gently spreading them. His eyes stay on hers, and she can see the twinkle, the smirk, and he knows what he's doing to her. She wants to tell him to stop teasing her, wants to tell him to keep going. She's unable to say anything, though, and so just spreads her legs more, pushes her hips closer to him.

He leans down then, glancing up at her for one more moment. "I hope it's okay that I eat first," he tells her in a low voice. She's about to tell him to shut up but then his head descends between her legs. Laurel falls back against the pillow, and her eyes close as a long moan falls from her lips at the first touch of his tongue.

Neither of them talk anymore after that.

Dinner is forgotten. They're unable to tear themselves away from the other and a couple of rounds later, they're resting in silence. Frank's above her, half on top of her as his head rests on her stomach. Her fingers slowly comb through his hair as she lays back and takes in the moment, the familiar weight of his body against hers.

It's soothing, and she almost thinks that he's fallen asleep when he finally speaks. "I'm scared." He says it so quietly, doesn't make any move to look up at her, that she almost thinks she's imagining it. But he hugs her to him, and she realizes that she heard him correctly.

"What do you mean?" she asks softly.

He's silent for several moments but she doesn't push, sensing he needs to process whatever he's feeling as he tells her.

"Just… that I don't know what's next. I relied on Annalise for so long, and I don't know how to do anything else. I'm not qualified for anything else, and yeah, I have some money saved but I don't know how long I can go without a job or if anyone will even hire me after all of this." She feels him swallow against her and can actually feel the anxiety slipping into his tone.

She just continues running her fingers through his hair and speaks calmly. "We're okay, Frank," she tells him, hoping he can hear how sure of that she is. "And you're going to be okay… I have a position at a firm here in Philly," she starts. "It's temporary until I pass the bar here but they pay well. We don't need to worry about money right away. I can carry us."

She almost expects him to protest at the thought of her being the breadwinner but he doesn't. Instead, he glances up at her, placing his hand on her stomach and resting his chin on his hand. "You have a job here already?" He's proud of her. She can see it in his eyes. She smiles.

"You have a job here already?" He's proud of her. She can see it in his eyes. She smiles.

"Yeah, I do. And I know you're not one to sit at home and clean house," she teases, "but I think it could be good for you to take a couple of weeks, and then we can figure it out but…" She trails off, as she starts to get an idea.

He's curious. "What?"

"You know, you could be an actual, legitimate investigator for a firm," she suggests. "I mean, you've basically been doing the same work for Annalise. You know the law, and you have the contacts. And my firm is looking for another investigator… I'm new there but they like me. I think I could have some sway in getting you in the door."

He sits up a little then, moving up the bed until he's level with her. He rests on his side, his head propped up on his hand. He's thinking it through, so she doesn't say anything. She just smiles as his hand rests on her stomach as if he can't stand to not be touching her.

"I'm not licensed," he finally says, though not denying the option completely.

"But you could get your license, easily," she encourages. "I'll help you with all that. And I will vouch for you at the firm. You have years of experience with Annalise, Frank," she reminds him, turning on her side to face him. "They'll see the value in that… But once you start, you'll have to work towards your certification. They firm requires it and—"

He shakes his head then, cutting her off softly. "I don't know, Laurel. Doesn't that require taking classes and stuff?" He shrugs. "I was never good at that. It's why I dropped out of college."

She reaches out and places her hand on his cheek. "I'll help you, Frank. I know you can do this. You've been doing it for over a decade already. I'll help with the school work, and I'll help you study, but Frank, you can do this. I'm so sure of that."

He looks at her for several minutes. Her hand drops from his face and reaches for his free hand, squeezing softly. He threads their fingers together. "You have that much faith in me?" he asks.

"I've always believed in you," she tells him, not hesitating for a second.

He gives her a small smile and leans in to kiss her. It's soft and sweet, and when they part, he rolls over on his back and pulls her with him.

She rests her head on his chest, her hand idly running over his stomach, tracing invisible patterns. His hand on her back does the same.

After a few moments of silence, Frank's hand gently rubbing up and down her back, Laurel speaks again, a smile in her voice.

"By the way, you should expect a pretty sizeable bill for my services," she teases.

She can hear the smile in his voice when he replies. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I don't come cheap. I have a 100% success rate, you know." She looks up at him.

"Hmm," he pretends to think before flipping them over so that Laurel is beneath him. She actually giggles, happier than she's been in so long, maybe since the last time she was with him, before everything.

"Maybe we can work out some sort of payment plan," he suggests in a deep voice before his lips descend on hers.


	16. Chapter 16 - Epilogue

_This is it! 50,000+ words later, and I'm finishing my first Flaurel multi-chapter! I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I really would love to know what you think, good and bad (just please be constructive). It really encourages, inspires, and helps us writers on our next stories. 3_

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 **Chapter 16: Epilogue**

 **Five Years Later**

The familiar cries of their three-year-old daughter calling for her daddy interrupts the first moment alone that Laurel has had with Frank in weeks. He's above her; they're both half naked. They're kissing as if it's been years since they've kissed. And, really, it does feel that way.

Laurel's been busy at the firm, working on two important cases. One is a pro bono case for a domestic violence shelter. It's exactly the type of work she's passionate about, the work that makes a difference, the work that feels like she's helping those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the best possible assistance. The other is a high-profile case for the firm. She's first chair, and if it goes well, it will put her one step closer to being named partner.

For his part, Frank has been working about ten different cases. He just received his certification about a month ago; coincidentally, the last time they were in this position in bed. He's one of the firm's best investigators, which puts him in high demand. And when he's not at the firm, he's very involved in all of Natalie's social engagements. You wouldn't think a three-year-old could be that in demand but she is, thriving in preschool and pretty much anything she puts her mind to.

At this moment, though, she and Frank are both home at a reasonable time, and they tucked their daughter in bed over an hour ago. Laurel should have known that it was too good to be true, that she and Frank weren't going to get their night alone even though they had both agreed that nothing would get in the way of this.

She, honestly, doesn't even truly register the first cries, and instead leans into Frank's kiss even more, pulling him down to her as her nails scrape along his bare back. Frank doesn't seem to notice either, his hands sliding down her sides until they reach her skirt. He starts to unzip it when she hears the cries again.

"Daddy!"

Laurel pauses. Natalie doesn't sound upset. It doesn't sound like she's had a bad dream or anything. If that were the case, she'd probably be in their room right now, catching them in a very awkward position. No, instead it sounds like she wants something, and she knows she should be asleep, so she's calling for Frank. She's definitely a daddy's girl, and of course she would be; she has Frank securely wrapped around her tiny finger. Frank seems to make the same assessment, shaking his head.

"Maybe she'll give up," he whispers as if he'll be heard saying it any louder.

Laurel laughs softly and threads her fingers through Frank's hair, pulling him back down to her. Their lips meet, none of the passion between them diminished by the interruption. Frank's hands move back to her skirt, pulling away from her so that he can drag the material down her body. It leaves her in only her underwear, and she smiles at Frank as his eyes take her in eagerly. After all these years together, she never tires of how much he seems to want her or that he still seems to want her more and more every day.

His hands go for his belt as he leans back over her, and she bites her lip in anticipation, her own hands moving to help him.

"DADDY!" This time, it's a screeching sound that they absolutely cannot ignore. Laurel just smiles as Frank leans his forehead against her shoulder and groans in frustration.

"You should go," Laurel tells him with a laugh, rubbing her hand gently up and down his back. He nods against her shoulder but doesn't make any move to get off of her. She laughs harder. "You know this is all your fault. You let her have whatever she wants," she teases. She feels his laughter against her shoulder.

"The faster you leave, the faster you can get back," she reminds him, her voice dropping lower.

That seems to spur him. He raises his head and smiles down at her. "Do. Not. Move," he tells her, leaning down to kiss her quickly. "I'm serious."

He kisses her again, softly, before he gets off the bed. She watches him as he buttons up his pants and grabs his t-shirt, throwing it on as he leaves their room. Just before he's out the door though he turns back to look at her. "And absolutely do not fall asleep."

She laughs at his directive but sadly, it's not that far off. She's been going to sleep almost as early as their daughter. Another reason why they haven't had this type of alone time in so long. She's been so busy at work that all she wants to do is sleep when she gets home, and it sucks because her hormones have actually been off the charts. But when she's awake and at work, there's not a whole lot she and Frank can do about it. Especially seeing as the walls to her office are made of glass.

She lays back, looking up at the ceiling as her hand runs idly over the barely-there baby bump. She's three months pregnant now, and it's almost hard to believe that they've come so far in just a few short years. Everything has changed, and yet so much of it has stayed the same.

She and Frank quickly fall back into their relationship once he's released as if they hadn't ever been apart. Of course, there are arguments here and there – some of them big – but at the end of the day, they pale in comparison to everything else they've been through. Through the murders, the split, Annalise, and the trial, they came out of it on the other side stronger than ever, more in love than either could even imagine.

Frank starts to work immediately on getting his license so that he can apply for the opening at Laurel's firm. She keeps telling him that it's okay to take some time and get everything figured out if that's what he wants. He insists, though, says he needs some sense of normalcy as soon as possible. Laurel can tell that he doesn't like having idle time. She's the same. It's too much to time to overthink, and though he actually plays the job of househusband well, she knows he's no more capable of staying home than she is. They are both at their best when they feel needed.

They never really talk about the fact that they're living together. Frank happily accepts it and works those first few days to make room for her throughout the apartment without her even having to ask. She smiles when she arrives home from work one day about a week later to find an updated lease, listing her as one of the inhabitants, awaiting her signature. Frank actually looks a little shy about having taken the initiative. She wants to laugh because she's the one who decided to just start living there. But instead, she just signs, a soft smile tugging at her lips, before walking over and kissing him passionately.

Their relief over the trial is almost short-lived. Though Annalise had been convicted on so many charges, Eve shows up and fights as hard as she can to get as short a sentence as possible. They both worry that if Annalise gets out, she's going to come after them for turning on her. After all, Annalise said as much to her last time they talked, and she clearly has no problems with following through anymore.

She doesn't know if it's because Denver won his election and the new DA isn't as invested or if Eve and Annalise together are just that good but they succeed in getting a deal for a limited sentence. Six months prison, five years' probation, and a permanent disbarment. Bonnie shows up at their apartment with the news, and when Laurel gets home from work she can see both of them are anxious over the situation, making a list of everything they've ever done for Annalise and everything else she might be able to use against them. Laurel would be lying if she said she isn't worried about that, too, but someone has to maintain their composure, think about everything objectively. Bonnie and Frank are usually so good at that but she knows that their worlds have been turned upside down more than anyone's. They all expected Annalise would be in prison so much longer, and this has caught them off-guard.

Much to everyone's surprise, when Annalise is let out of prison two months early she doesn't try to contact any of them. Bonnie and Connor are able to find out that Annalise changed her address with the court and moved to New York City. She's living there with Eve. They don't hear anything, no prosecutors start digging around, nothing happens. Frank's sure that it's some kind of game, that she's going to let them have a false sense of security and then when they least expect it, she's going to pounce and take her revenge.

Frank's convinced that she's going to come after Laurel because of her role in the trial and probably Michaela and Connor as well. So much so that he starts planning how he can manipulate the evidence, point Sam's murder to himself if needed. She doesn't know any of this until they are in bed one night, and he starts to tell her he's figured out what he can do and that she needs to follow his lead.

Laurel refuses to let him do anything, tells him that if it happens and Annalise exposes them, he's not allowed to sacrifice himself for the rest of them. He's the one who actually had nothing to do with Sam's death, and she's not going to let him go down for it. She makes him promise but he doesn't meet her eyes. She knows there's not going to be much she can do to stop him but she starts coming up with her own internal plans it comes to that.

Their fears turn out to be unwarranted because two months later, Laurel and Frank receive a letter from Annalise. It's handwritten; it's heartfelt. Laurel can see where the paper has dried from a few stray tears. She almost can't believe it's from Annalise but Frank confirms that it's her handwriting.

In the letter, she tells them that Laurel had been right. She had time in prison to really think about it and truly realize how she had turned on anyone who had ever shown her an ounce of loyalty. She recognized just how alone she was and just how much she doesn't like it. She doesn't want to live that way anymore.

Laurel doesn't know what to believe. Annalise has always been smart, always a step ahead, and always a master manipulator. But as they read, Laurel realizes that this wasn't the case here. The letter goes on to say that Annalise is living with Eve and wants to focus on being truly happy for once in her life, wants to be a good person. And she wants both Laurel and Frank to be happy too. She apologizes to both of them, to Frank for turning on him when he had done so much for her and to Laurel for the threats and everything else.

It's completely unexpected. Laurel knows it's not all on Annalise. The situation had always been so tenuous and ready to blow up on all of them, even before she had started law school. She knows that Frank and Bonnie were involved in shady situations, that Frank was expected to regularly go above and beyond what the role of an assistant or even an investigator would entail. No one is completely blameless in any of it but the letter seems to be what they both need to close that chapter of their lives and truly focus on their future.

She smiles, then, as she's pulled out of her thoughts. The sounds of her daughter laughing and screeching make their way into the room. It sounds like Frank is probably tickling her or doing something silly. He knows exactly how to entertain Natalie. She shakes her head. She should be annoyed because they both finally agreed that Natalie needs to stick to her bedtime. Frank has always the one to cave and let her stay up a little longer.

"Come on, Laurel," he tells her, "She's three. How much longer can she stay up on her own anyway?"

The answer? Hours. Probably all night if they'd let her.

And the next morning, it's Laurel struggling to get Natalie out of bed and dressed.

"This is your fault," she informs Frank. He just shrugs before taking over the task of getting her ready for preschool.

Laurel tries to stay firm. She really does but it's hard to not to find it endearing because, despite his tendency to cave on everything, she couldn't ask for a better father for their daughter. It surprises the people around them, how good he is with her. Connor jokes about it all the time but Laurel somehow knew that this is how it would be.

After Annalise's letter, she and Frank work really hard to make sure they are as strong as they can be. They promise each other no more lies, no more keeping anything from the other. Frank is set on making sure he can be the man she deserves, a man that loves her and will do anything for her, one that's undeserving of the title career criminal. It's a lifelong journey to redemption but, Laurel thinks, he's well on his way.

Michaela and Connor, with their boyfriends, become staples in their lives as does Bonnie. They hang out at least once a week. It feels normal; finally, everything in her life is normal.

It's that small group and Frank's entire family that are present when they have their wedding a year later. Laurel wants something small, and Frank just wants to make her happy. His mom has other plans, however, excited that Frank has finally found someone who can put up with him. And so it's not just immediate family but dozens of cousins and people that even Frank hasn't seen in years that end up invited to the rapidly expanding affair. It's stressful. What wedding isn't? But none of the expected jitters are there. Instead, Laurel's concern is with all the new people and having to meet all of them on a day that's supposed to be about her and Frank. But the wedding becomes less of a big deal when Frank suggests one night that they drive down to Virginia and elope, take all the pressure off.

So they do. They take a long weekend about a month before the wedding and go to Virginia, where there's no waiting period. They get their license and are soon saying "I do" in front of a Justice of the Peace. It's everything that Laurel wants, just her and Frank making a life-long commitment to each other. It doesn't feel like anyone else needs to be present for that. They enjoy the weekend away before heading back to Philly.

Frank suggests that she keep her name so that she's not as easily associated with everything that was in the news about him. She can't imagine not having his name, though, has more of a connection to his family than to hers, and so she pointedly makes the change. After that, Laurel doesn't stress about the wedding or the number of people that will be there. They don't tell anyone that they already got married but for them, the ceremony becomes a large party, a celebration of the commitment they've already made.

The honeymoon is everything they want it to be, and even more. They're surprised when just a couple of months later, Laurel finds she's pregnant. They hadn't been planning on it. She wanted to wait a couple of years, get more established at the firm but, of course, life doesn't always work the way you plan. Frank, however, is overjoyed from the second they find out. So much so, that he can't stop bragging about the fact that he knocked her up on the honeymoon.

It doesn't impede her career the way she thinks it will, though, because Frank steps up, refuses to let this mean a step back for her. After she returns from her maternity leave, Frank takes paternity leave too and then cuts back on extra hours at the firm, so that he can be home with the baby as much as possible. He knows how important it is to Laurel that she's working just as hard as the other associates, how important it is to her career. Laurel leaves at a reasonable hour as much as she can but knowing she can rely on Frank to be there instead of leaving their daughter with a babysitter all night is a relief.

She smiles as she thinks about everything the past five years, thinks about how they somehow overcame everything against them.

After several minutes, Laurel gets up from the bed, throws on her pajamas, and starts to make her way down the hall to the other bedroom. She follows the sounds of Frank clearly reading Natalie a story, voices and all. She shakes her head at how easy he is. They had already read her two stories that night.

She stops for a moment, drawn to a picture of the wall of Michaela holding a newborn Natalie and laughing so hard at Connor who's out of the frame. She smiles, remembering the way he was teasing her about Frank, of all people, having to be the one to show her how to not hold a baby like a ticking time bomb. She remembers the way Natalie had been screaming but that she settled as soon as she felt safe in Michaela's arms. They've all been close ever since the trial. So close that she and Frank couldn't decide on godparents, so they decided to go with four: Michaela – or Prom Queen, as Frank still likes to call her – and Bonnie her godmothers, Conner and Oliver her godfathers.

It doesn't take Michaela long to figure out the role and, it turns out, not a moment too soon. It not long after Natalie is born that she finds out she's pregnant herself. She had married her boyfriend – her colleague at the firm – a year earlier. Their daughters are now best friends.

"One more, daddy!" a little voice exclaims with a giggle, and Laurel laughs lightly as she gets closer.

She makes it to the room and leans against the door frame, resting her hand on her stomach. They had been trying this time, both ready to add to their little family. It took longer than either of them expected.

"You've already had three, Nat. You know you need to go to bed now. You've been up too late already and you have a big day at school tomorrow," Frank tries to reason, looking down at the big blue eyes he's unable to say no to.

"Please, daddy?" she asks, and Laurel can see from where she stands that the crocodile tears are already starting. They work every time. Natalie is already well aware of that too. She's going to have to tell Frank that he needs to be stronger when it comes to the rules.

Frank sighs, and she sees the moment he cracks. "One more. _Only_ one more. And you can't tell mommy, okay?" he tells her. Laurel smiles.

"Thank you, daddy!" She wraps her arms around him as he sits next to her on the small bed. He just chuckles, and she sees he's fully aware of the fact that Natalie is already learning how to manipulate him. He reaches for one of the books, looking at it.

"How about _Beauty and the Beast_?" he asks, knowing full well it's Natalie's favorite.

"Yes!"

Laurel watches them as Frank opens the book and starts to read. She's so fascinated by this man in front of her who was somehow able to move on from Annalise and throw himself into being a good man, a good husband, and a good father. He's never been able to truly get over all he's done, especially what he did to Lila. He'll never be able to get over that, she knows. She'll never be able to either. They shouldn't. It's something they should always remember. But he's trying so hard to redeem himself, make himself a better man who's worthy of this second chance.

She particularly appreciates when he goes outside of his scope at work to help her with her pro bono cases. He knows how important they are to her. But she can see how important they become to him, how much he wants to help these people, usually women and children, be able to move on with their lives and maybe find something better out there.

She can't help but laugh when he puts on a gruff voice for the Beast. He looks up at her then, smiling. He must have already noticed her there. It doesn't interrupt his reading; though, they both notice Nat isn't laughing the way she would usually be. She's leaning into Frank's side but her eyes are closed; she's asleep. Finally. He reads for a little longer, his voice getting softer as he makes sure she's not going to wake. Laurel just keeps watching, completely enamored. It doesn't take him too long to get through the book and gently extract himself from Natalie. He tucks her in, gives her a kiss on the forehead, and turns off the light on her nightstand.

He slowly moves towards Laurel, a smirk firmly on his face. She only smiles back.

"I thought I told you not to move," he teases softly as he gets closer to her.

"But then I would have missed my favorite part," she teases back, shrugging. And it is her favorite part, watching him with their daughter, those tender moments when she's pretty sure she couldn't love him any more than she does right then. Somehow, though, her love for him continues to grow and their bond gets deeper and deeper every day to the point where she knows there is absolutely nothing in the world that could tear them apart.

When he reaches her, he leans in to kiss her, deepening it instantly. His hands reach for her hips and he slowly moves them out of Natalie's room.

"You know," he murmurs against her lips, "I might just have to punish you later."

His voice is deep and filled with desire, and she can't help the low moan that falls from her lips as she wraps her arms around his shoulders.

"It might be for the best," she agrees, leaning in to kiss him deeply.

He slowly and carefully walks them back to their room. They both know that one wrong move, one accidental bump, will wake Natalie and that would mean at least another hour before she falls back asleep.

They make it to their room, though, and Frank quietly closes the door behind him. Lifting her then, he carries her to the bed and slowly lays her down, moving over her.

"What were you thinking about in there?" he asks softly, gently pushing some hair out of her eye and behind her ears.

She smiles softly, shrugging a little. "Just about everything," she tells him.

"Everything?"

"Yeah, just how we got here," she says as her hands move to the hem of his shirt, slowly pulling it up his body. "And about how happy I am, how in love with you I am, how I could never have imagined all of this, how lucky I am," she finishes.

He gives her a long, deep look before shaking his head. "I'm the lucky one," he tells her, his voice thick with emotion. "And I don't know how I went so long without you in my life," he says, and she can hear the honesty. "I don't know how I got by before I even knew you existed."

"Now you're just being cheesy," she teases.

He laughs softly. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's not true."

She pulls more insistently at his shirt then, and he pulls back to let her take it off before he reaches for her shirt. They work together to undress her once again, and soon she's in only her panties. Frank is down to his underwear as well and she can see how hard he is, straining against the fabric. He doesn't seem to show any discomfort or any desire to rush.

Instead, he smiles as he leans over her. "I love you," he whispers.

Their lips meet in a passionate kiss that promises a lot more to come tonight but before they get started, Frank pulls back. She sighs but watches him silently.

He moves down her body until he's hovering over her stomach, just looking down at the small bump. He presses his hands to her skin, bracketing the place where their baby is growing strong before he leans in and places a soft, lingering kiss on her belly. He's having a moment with their future child and she smiles when she sees his own smile appear on his face and runs her fingers through is hair.

Everything in this moment feels perfect.

She's had the thought many times over the past few years but it's never felt truer: Despite everything that happened, she wouldn't change anything now for the world. She wouldn't give this up for anything.

And as Frank loops his fingers into her panties to pull them down, his eyes turning from soft to mischievous as he looks up at her, she knows that she's never going to have to again.

 **The End.**


End file.
